minor spoilers...

Recently, I had the opportunity to see a screening of A Foreign Affair at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL, which will likely see limited release in the states during the first few months of 2004. It was preceded by the Spike Lee short film, We Wuz Robbed, which watches more like an anti-Bush propoganda piece than the documentary it pretends to be. Anyway...

In A Foreign Affair, Jake (Tim Blake Nelson) and Josh (David Arquette) live on a farm with their mother, who takes care of all the household duties. When she dies, they have nowhere to turn, and decide to go on a "romance tour" in Russia to find a wife (they only need one - they're just looking for someone to cook and clean).

The prime moving force of this movie is the acting of Nelson and Arquette that makes it a fun, enjoyable film - their deadpan comedy as two farmboys grieving over their mother is hilarious. Out of their element, looking for a wife in Russia, they begin to take separate paths, their personalities begin to show, and the film gets really interesting.

Jake is the stern older brother who spouts wisdom like: "Men lead, women follow," as if it is the most obvious truth in the world. He constantly reminds Josh why they're in Russia and reminds the girls on the tour of their "profile number" when they seem to have forgotten. Much to Jake's chagrine, Josh begins to break out of his shell, have fun, and treat the women like they're not numbers. Emily Mortimer, as Angela, rounds out the cast, and she, rather than brother Josh, plays the perfect foil to the single-minded Jake.

Helmut Schleppi and Geert Heetebrij (the writer and the director, respectively - they're Dutch) actually went on one of these "romance tours" in St. Petersburg as research for the film, so that the film would be an accurate portrayal of this interesting subculture. The result of their research was a well-thought, well-written, and creative story.

You can, however, tell this is low-budget film - in certain areas lighting, editing, and directing may be a little off. But overall, the production values are good, the acting is excellent, and it ends up being much better than a lot of the films put out by the Hollywood establishment that are made for much more money. The only real complaint I have was that the end was a bit off-balance and didn't seem to fit with the rest of the movie. For the most part, though, what we have here is a good story about freedom, maturing, and self-discovery.

			See it if this film comes to your town and you like the prospect of something fresh, new, and different. Don't see it if...well, just go see it if you can...support independent film.

© 2003 Jim Manchester