Lazy Eye - Lucas Near-Verbrugghe

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Tim Kirkman
USA 2016

Approaching middle age, Los Angeles graphic artist Dean (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, OUR IDIOT BROTHER) finds that the resurgence of his childhood Amblyopia (lazy eye) not affecting his work so much as a world-weariness brought on by unimaginative clients and loneliness. When he gets an email out of the blue from Alex (Aaron Costa Ganis), a man with which he had shared an intense summer fifteen years ago in New York, he takes off to his second home in Joshua Tree to reunite with the one who literally got away. His anticipation of resuming their sexual relationship is quickly realized as soon as Alex gets in the door, but eventually their reminiscences and the careful ways in which they both discuss their current lives betrays ulterior motives to meeting up again on both sides. A virtual two-man show set against a vast and picturesque desert backdrop, LAZY EYE proves to be a rather insightful treatment of thin plotline that could just have easily been the springboard for a conventional thriller or a gay film more concerned with gratuitous sex than character development. Appearances are deceptive, with the depiction of Dean's life during the first act suggesting that he has changed very much from the "most sexual person" Alex has ever known, revealing that he is still a horndog under his intellectual outside; while Alex's globe-hopping to find himself - which can be seen as tantamount to vanishing to someone who felt close to him - and even his admissions of insecurity betray something more desperate than just running from himself. As predicted, both are looking for the versions of each other they once knew; and, although they have not changed as much as they believe, they are different enough to not be able to pick up where they left off.

Eric Cotenas

Poster

Theatrical Release: 11 November 2016 (USA)

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DVD Review: Breaking Glass Pictures - Region 1 - NTSC

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the Review!

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Breaking Glass Pictures Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:30:51
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.12 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Audio	English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Subtitles	none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Breaking Glass Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: � Audio Commentary by director Tim Kirkman � Behind the Scenes (16:9; 8:39) � Deleted Scene (16:9; 2:49) � 'A Closer Look at Crazy Eye' (16:9; 9:30) � Photo Gallery � Post Screening Q&A (16:9; 16:32) � Trailer (16:9; 2:50) � Previews DVD Release Date: November 15th, 2016 Amaray Chapters 12

Comments

Breaking Glass' mid-range bitrate, progressive, anamorphic encode gets the job done with a film that features widescreen images with deliberately smeared and defocused edges at times and a color palette skewed towards the warm to very warm which is fitting to both the desert settings and the tone of the flashbacks. The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio needs no discrete surround enhancement, with the film's environmental sounds often mixing into the score as a hybrid accompaniment while other scenes highlight the desolation of the desert settings. English Closed Captions are included. The DVD version is an extended director's cut running nearly ninety-one minutes while streaming versions online run eight-seven.

The main extra is a commentary by the director who discusses the film's biographic elements and his initial plans to mount the project as a two-person play. The behind the scenes featurette is actually a series of loose clips and outtakes while "A Close Look at" is a more traditional making-of featurette with discussion from the cast and crew of the film's themes. A Q&A session from a festival screening provides additional insight while a deleted scene is an extension of the desert touring sequence late in the film with a dialogue exchange that gives additional character shadings but was best left out. The film's trailer and trailers for other releases are also included.

- Eric Cotenas

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