If you’re the kind of person who enjoys reality television shows about home improvement, remodeling, overhauling a fixer-upper, etc., then Major Arcana, written and directed by Josh Melrod (Cartoon College), is for you. You can watch a man, a recovering alcoholic named Dink (Ujon Tokarski), build a tiny log cabin on the large tract of wooded land he just inherited from his late, estranged father.
We watch Dink clear space for the structure by cutting down trees, then build his little domicile from scratch. At one point, he buys a used wood-burning stove and drags the heavy thing by himself from his truck to the house. There’s a bump and the stove hurts Dink’s (or is it Tokarski”s?) leg.
The lines blur between story and documentary in this interesting film, in which Dink’s loner character returns to the unstable life situation he fled in Vermont several years before. Getting sober and getting by until news of his dad’s passing reached him, Dink becomes one of those focused individuals who move through life in a deliberate way, staying clean and busy. But his return to Vermont demonstrates how much an unchanging environment contributes to the slow unraveling of an addict’s determination.
There’s an old girlfriend (Tara Summers) in the picture, a cynic trying to eke out a living through Tarot readings, a boozy stepmother, and a few others with a low opinion of Dink. No matter, one thinks, Dink’s got his emerging house, and he seems content living in a small tent under the stars. But Melrod perfectly captures the way old habits and compulsions sneak up on a vulnerable, well-intended hero, leading to a drastic conclusion.
Melrod’s extensive background as an editor serves him well in Major Arcana, his first feature as a director. Scenes are conceived and shot with an editing challenge in mind; what could be more interesting than cutting footage of an actor literally doing as much carpentry as we see here?
Bit there’s fascinating darkness in Major Arcana, too. A scene in which Dink negotiates with the owner of that stove is like a confrontation between ghosts, two men trying to make sense of loss and chaos by rearranging their past selves. Major Arcana is a drama that trule sticks with you. Strongly recommended.