Possible Films: Short Works by Hal Hartley, 1994-2004

Hal Hartley, the critically praised independent director of The Unbelievable Truth, Simple Men, and Trust, has been using the short-form experimental film format for some years to explore fascinating ideas that wouldn't really fill out a feature film. Possible Films includes a half-dozen of these works, including the wonderful "Opera No. 1" (1994), starring Parker Posey and Adrienne Shelly as goofy muses on roller blades trying to bring together a couple of difficult lovers (Patricia Dunnock, James Urbaniak). "The Other Also" (1997) is a lovely piece originally commissioned by the Paris Gallery of the Foundation Cartier, featuring two out-of-focus figures whose slow movements against a backdrop of light evoke a sense of love and loss. The crazy "The New Math" (1999) involves three people—two students and their teacher—who are fighting, literally, over a complex math equation filling a large chalkboard. "NYC3/94" (1994) is the least interesting piece here, in which several people in and around a café are trying to survive a battle (suggested strictly through sound effects and the actors' reactions) waged outside in the street. "The Sisters of Mercy" (2005) stars Posey and Sabrina Lloyd in a film that appears to be footage of the actresses in rehearsal with Hartley, whose voice is on the soundtrack—but while there are some interesting moments here, at more than 16 minutes it drags a bit. Finally, "Kimono" (2000) is a half-hour fable, made for a German TV series called Erotic Tales, in which a new bride (Miho Nikaido) shoved from a car crawls and creeps through a dense forest—observed by sprites—losing sections of her clothing until she comes upon an abandoned house, falls asleep, and has a dream. Special features include clips from rehearsals of Hartley's play "Soon," and an interview with Hartley about the latter. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)