This no-budget, 16mm b&w feature by Zeb Haradon might look like a half-remembered episode from The Twilight Zone mixed with Sartre's No Exit, but it actually packs quite a subversive wallop. Haradon stars as a severely introverted adult virgin who shares an apartment building elevator ride with a neighbor (Robin Ballard), a former sex addict who gave up her too-free-spirited ways to embrace religion. When the elevator becomes stuck between floors and no one responds to their calls for help, the pair's waiting runs into hours, and then (inexplicably) days and weeks (the contents of the woman's grocery bag are mysteriously replenished each morning and the couple's personal waste also vanishes). Stuck with each other in a tight space, the duo embark on an endless circle of conversation, mostly hinging on sex (his lack of experience, her many adventures). Despite the claustrophobic setting and experimental nature of the narrative, Elevator Movie is both genuinely disturbing and cinematically impressive, with Haradon and Ballard playing brilliantly off each other, creating deeply textured characters. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Elevator Movie
Pathfinder, 95 min., not rated, DVD: $24.98 Volume 23, Issue 6
Elevator Movie
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