Static (1986)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Mark Romanek

Writers:

Keith Gordon (writer)
Mark Romanek (writer)

Release Date:

10 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

STATIC... it's on a different wavelength.

Plot:

A quirky, out-of-of place worker at a crucifix factory in the Bible Belt invents a device he claims can show pictures of Heaven...

Plot Keywords:

Crucifix | Bus | Invention | Outcast | Best Friend

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Keith Gordon	...	Ernie Blick
Amanda Plummer	...	Julia Purcell
Bob Gunton	...	Frank
Barton Heyman	...	Sherriff William Orling
Lily Knight	...	Patty
Jane Hoffman	...	Emily Southwick
Reathel Bean	...	Fred Savins
Kitty Mei-Mei Chen	...	Li
Joel Krehbeil	...	Deputy Tom Terrence
Eugene Lee	...	Dale
Jack Murakami	...	North
Mike Murakami	...	South
Uma Ridenhour	...	Sarah
Janice Abbott	...	Sonya
Tamma Allgood	...	T.V. Interviewer

Also Known As:

Necessity (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lake Powell, Utah, USA

Company:

NFI Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Closure (1997) (V)

Soundtrack:

Blue Christmas

weird unknown gem

"Static" is a precious film. It's a well kept secret, the kind of far-out gem (like , say, Talk Talk : "Spirit Of Eden") that will always escape classification. In a word, it's weird.

Visually, it belongs to the white walls, new wave, ambient American minimalist wave of "Sex, Lies, And Videos", "Bodies, Rest And Motion", "Parents", or the cult Hal Hartley films. The cherry on the cake has to be its soundtrack, complete with sublime atmospheric synthethizer waves by Japan.

The story : something magical happened in a small community ...except noone "gets" it, and a fairly disturbed young man can't get to communicate his sublime vision, and share his surreal "invention". What he has come up with is mind boggling... and noone else recognizes it. Past the suspenseful first half, the film veers into another, more tragic, direction ("Sugarland Express" ?), as he takes on the world. Weird, wacky, wonderful.

Details (like the half-melt crucifix collection, the survivalist, his kids' alien masks) abound, creating a suitably subtle poetic atmosphere. Add to that the fascinating presence of Amanda Plummer, who adds a doubly poignant subplot (returning "home", and sympathising with the loner), and you have a true cult classic of the eighties. -Other possible recommendations : "The Reflecting Skin" , or "The Darkness Of Darkley Noon".