A study in contradictions shrouded in poverty, Joe (Nicolas Cage, The Croods) is a man kind to those who deserve it and appreciative of a hard day’s toil from his workers, yet plagued by a fiery temper and a penchant for drowning his sorrows. In Gary (Tye Sheridan, Mud), he sees not just a boy in need of a job to support his family, but a young man potentially troubled by the same problems. Joe’s demons are within, anchored in a self-destructive streak that won’t cease. Gary’s strife comes from outside, the reach of his abusive, alcoholic father (Gary Poulter, in his first and only film role) inescapable.
In the film that bears his name, the ex-con lead also constitutes a conundrum, but one painted in subtle strokes. His whirlwind of damage, be it poisoning trees to make money, or setting his savage dog on his enemies, are born of the ingrained pain of hard living that shows in every scowl. His vicious lashings against misdeeds and their perpetrators may just be the only method of clearing a path for his new friend and unlikely protégé.
Another small town slice of life from a filmmaker at his best when he’s essaying the elements of existence on the margins (George Washington, All the Real Girls), and at his worst when he’s trying to splash about in the broader, more mainstream end of the cinema pool (Your Highness, The Sitter), Joe slides onto the screen soaked in unhappiness – and, like the alcohol so often swigged within the film’s frames, offers the taste of bitterness as it ventures towards solace. David Gordon Green has made the flipside to the feature’s predecessor, 2013’s Prince Avalanche, a gritty and grimy exploration of toughness and tenacity that doesn’t shy from difficulty.
As a portrait of paired protagonists, Joe asks much of its key cast members, with both up to the task. Making a welcome return to meatier fare after much too long spent in sub-standard actioners and thrillers of late, Cage intrigues and elicits empathy for his anti-hero in equal measures. Showing his third strong performance in succession in a line-up that also includes The Tree of Life, Sheridan continues to shoulder depth beyond his modest years. Much of the remainder of the cast ripples with authenticity, none more so than Poulter, a formidable presence that Green found on the street in a case not of art imitating life, but of art drawing upon life’s harshness.
Professional and plucked from the sidewalk alike, the actors roam through rich frames marked by their discolour, as shades of brown and grey inflect the images and reflect the dour mood. Again, Green shows a steely eye for detail and for savouring the moment, the director, his cinematographer Tim Orr (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) and editor Colin Patton (Funny People) never afraid to hone in on the trappings of the crucial southern setting, or to flit between lyrical tones and light-hearted mood, as each scene calls for. With every intricate shot and simmering interaction, Joe builds its heartbreak in haunting layers, only marred by the inherent sensibility. Perhaps that’s just the life Green, his co-writer Gary Hawkins (The Rough South of Larry Brown) and their literary source material by Larry Brown honestly attempt to recreate: tough times, touching trapped people, with emotion as well as inevitability.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Joe
Director: David Gordon Green
US, 2013, 117 mins
Sydney Film Festival
www.sff.org.au
4 – 15 June
Revelation Perth International Film Festival
www.revelationfilmfest.org
3 – 13 July
Melbourne International Film Festival
www.miff.com.au
31 July – 17 August
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