-Written by Ken Radner.
Goin’ Ape 2 is directed and written by Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis, starring Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis, Rachael Stone, Jamel Ben Gharbia, Sinead Saxton, Stephen Huddlestone, and Juliana Salerno. This film deals with subjects such as drug addiction, corruption, and organized crime. A confusing film, which features wooden and repeatedly inadvertent comedic acting and awkward editing. This film uses various visual themes to attempt to convey emotion and atmosphere, with the bulk of the film in black and white, and a section with apparently a choppily animated storyboard.
Goin’ Ape 2 follows groups of protagonists(?) with intertwining stories. The dialogue is at times flowery and poetic, but often nebulous and confusing. The use of black and white and mostly urban scenery with stark interiors seems to attempt to denote a dystopian atmosphere, or it is simply indicative of the available budget.
There seems to be no real heroes or cut and dry “good” characters in the film, just people to varying levels of “bad”. There is obviously a level of artistic or symbolic license being taken in the film to make a point. However, the confusing and sometimes non sequitur style of the dialogue, along with jagged storytelling, makes it difficult to determine what the symbolism is pointing to. As a lover of avant-garde cinema, and particularly a fan of David Lynch films, I find it pleasing to see how that style of visual filmmaking can convey a significant emotional reaction from the viewer, while providing a powerful message. With my viewings of this film, I struggle to find what the filmmaker was attempting to convey other than a rather stark and pessimistic opinion of the nature of the characters’ experience. In my opinion, the most obvious protagonists were the characters of the addict, Robert, and the drunk with a past, Ape. Robert seems, for lack of a better word, the more standard type of character, in that he behaves much the way a typical addict would. He has his drug experiences, attends a type of psychological therapy in attempts to control his addiction, attempts to maintain a relationship with his girlfriend, and also tries to keep himself functional. He interacts with his mother in a scene I particularly enjoyed, which utilized grainy, overexposed filming of his mother's character. This seemed to symbolize the harshness of his experience of speaking to her while under the influence of drugs. Ape seems to fit more of the archetype of a warrior/poet. Speaking in misappropriated quotes from literature, waxing poetic, he eventually seems to become some type of hero, defending children from bullies, and coming to odds with stereotypical organized crime-type characters. He also seems to maintain some type of moral code.
All in all, Goin’ Ape 2 seems to be an attempt at a philosophical form of storytelling. Using techniques from various films to be set apart from a typical format of narrative, it seems to lose the coherence of the story. There are enjoyable moments, but I found myself struggling to have it all make sense. I would tentatively suggest watching this, if only to challenge the viewer to have it make sense.
Written & Directed by Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis.
Starring Apostoly Peter Kouroumalis, Rachael Stone, Jamel Ben Gharbia, Sinead Saxton, Stephen Huddlestone, & Juliana Salerno.
3/10 = WORTH WATCHING, BUT YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
