In the years since I saw this film in 1997, it remains a dark, desolate, haunting experience which repeated viewings have not diminished. Its a strong film which gets inside the alienated yearning of a central character, Ernest, whose love and passion is undercut by self-hatred and fear of his own invisibility. The resemblance to Travis Bickle from "Taxi Driver" is a welcome reminder that the cinema can still seek out the painful, destructive and lost characters that were far more frequently and successfully envisioned in 1970s films. Its not really a pastiche or mockery as some critics on its release argued. Rather its a re-examination of the place of someone like Travis Bickle in another time. Its also based on a true story. This gut-wrenching film has a fearsome score reminiscent of "The Exorcist" (even the credits evoke that film). It succeeds best in those moments where Ernest and 15 year old Chrsitiane seek to establish a truthful relationship. Its not an easy film and the performance of Michale Wyle is jarring on a first viewing but in time the truth of his performance shines. Morally the film is complex and the violence is excessive.
Review of God's Lonely Man
