ATRABILIOUS
(director/writer: William Atticus Parker; cinematographer: William Atticus Parker; editor: William Atticus Parker; music: Iain Condron; cast: Leon Addison Brown (Steven Joyner), Mark Boone Junior (Eduard Gillespie), Evan Jonigkeit (Raphael Clearwater), Jeffrey Wright (Vincent Daugherty), Whoopi Goldberg (Andrea Hart), Brooks Ashmanskas (Todd Jenkins), Joel de la Fuente (Mark Nava), David Pittu (Dominick Calderon), Andy Karl (Greg Meyers), Ward Horton (Miles Zimmerman), Hunter Parrish (Milo Kramer), Sabina Friedman-Seitz (Kate Sullivan), Alec Baldwin (Proctor Carisle), Lewis Black (Roy Altman), Dan Finnerty (Levi Whitacker), Brandon E. Burton (Neil), Steven Maier (Brad); Runtime: 100; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: William Atticus Parker, Sabina Friedman-Seitz; River Styx Productions; 2024)
“Held my attention for its entirety.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
An unconventional dark thriller set in NYC’s underworld, that has neo-noir vibes. It’s about a grieving father who lost his gay son and wants to know why and how. The micro budgeted, self-funded, indie drama is feverishly directed and written as an arty religious revenge film by the talented 20-year-old William Atticus Parker (“Forty Winks”). He also is the cinematographer, whose intense visual style (a lot of close-ups) makes the viewer uncomfortable.
Steven Joyner (Leon Addison Brown) is crushed upon the news his son Neil (Brandon E. Burton) and his son’s boyfriend Brad (Steven Maier) have committed suicide. When the mysterious Vincent (Jeffrey Wright), who knew his son, gets Steven to play chess with him, he gives him a ticket to go to the ominous bar on Sullivan St. called Atrabilious (which translates as ill-tempered) for answers on his son’s death. There Steven drinks a special non-alcoholic therapeutic cocktail bereavement concoction to make him forget his troubles, that are served by the seemingly innocent bartenders who work for the peculiar bar co-owners, the spellbinding and menacing Old Testament figure, Eduard (Mark Boone Junior), and the creepy psychologist Dr. Raphael Clearwater (Evan Jonigkeit).
You can’t blame Steven for not trusting these men, so he gets his son’s friends Todd (Brooks Ashmanskas) and Mark (Joel De La Fuente) to help him investigate if they are telling the truth about what might have happened to Neil.
Tension builds, as answers are slow in coming. But after a reveal in the third act, things become clearer until finalized as the final credits roll by.
There are brief cameos by Whoopi Goldberg, Alec Baldwin and Lewis Black.
It was well-acted by the leads, competently made, and it held my attention for its entirety. Its overall strangeness left me in the dark for most of the film (which might be a good thing, as the end result was unpredictable).
But the film’s strangeness is not for all tastes. It also might bother viewers that it’s too talky, not fully believable, too joyless and lacking in action.
REVIEWED ON 8/17/2024 GRADE: B-
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