Entertainment
Nothing to laugh at. As a third-rate comic travels endlessly through desert backroads, from bar to bar, it's always the same: drunken faces and empty stares, embarrassing silence and a nervous snicker. With his huge glasses and thinning greasy hair the man cracks primitive jokes, snorts furiously and calls out members of the audience (here, Gregg Turkington plays his onstage persona, the anti-comic Neil Hamburger). At first his behavior seems part of the performance, but over time it begins to symptomatize psychosis, especially when the film becomes increasingly surreal, erasing the line between reality and hallucination. Just as in The Comedy (which many considered the best film of the 3rd American Film Festival in 2012), Rick Alverson's latest film is ostentatiously monotonous, vulgar and misanthropic. It is the antithesis of movies where entertainment, relaxation and feeling good are the priorities. General audiences will keep a safe distance, but "Entertainment" should have no trouble finding a fervent cult to call its own, writes Scott Foundas for "Variety."
awards
Locarno IFF 2015 – Junior Jury Award – Environment Is Quality of Life Prize
Rick Alverson
He was born in 1971 and lives in Richmond. In his extensive musical career, he has made numerous records with the bands Drunk and Spokane. As a filmmaker, he has directed videos for Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen and Benjamin Booker. The Builder is his feature-length debut. His films often deal with existential crises. He was a guest of the 3rd American Film Festival in 2012 when his film The Comedy screened in competition in the Spectrum section.
Filmography
2010 The Builder
2011 New Jerusalem
2012 Komedia / The Comedy
2013 The Sixth Year (co-dir.)
2015 Rozrywka / Entertainment
Cast & Crew
