Low Down

An impressionistic adaptation of Amy-Jo Albany's titular memoir, Jeff Preiss's directorial debut Low Down centers on a father and daughter relationship in a jazz milieu. Set in 1974, the action unfolds in a seedy Hollywood motel, where 13-year-old Amy-Jo (Elle Fanning) lives with her divorced father, Joe (John Hawkes), a jazz pianist struggling to stay clean from heroin. More often than not, he fails, but his love for his daughter continues to shine through. Still, when that love isn't enough—when Joe goes off on a bender or winds up in jail—Amy-Jo stays with her no-nonsense grandmother (Glenn Close). On occasion, she receives visits from her mother, Sheila (Lena Headey), but the latter's alcoholism makes her difficult to be around (for all his faults, Joe never stops being a caring father). Amy-Jo has better luck making friends at the motel with a boy with a similar parental situation, and an experimental actor who lives in the furnace room (Peter Dinklage). Joe also hangs out with a combination of drug buddies and jazz musicians, including horn player Hobbes (Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers). From the drugs to the unintentional neglect, this is hardly an ideal life for a kid, but Preiss never judges. Low Down doesn't just capture a specific place and time, Sundance award-winning cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt, who shot in 16mm, also makes it look like an actual artifact from the 1970s. More importantly, Hawkes and Fanning create a believable, touching relationship. Highly recommended. (K. Fennessy)