Trouble in Mind (1985)

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writer:

Alan Rudolph (written by)

Release Date:

March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

The lives of an ex-con, a coffee-shop owner, and a young couple looking to make it rich intersect in the fictional and hypnotic Rain City. |

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Seattle Washington | Independent Film

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kris Kristofferson	...	Hawk
Keith Carradine	...	Coop
Lori Singer	...	Georgia
Geneviève Bujold	...	Wanda
Joe Morton	...	Solo
Divine	...	Hilly Blue
George Kirby	...	Lieutenant Gunther
John Considine	...	Nate Nathanson
Dirk Blocker	...	Rambo
Albert Hall	...	Leo
Gailard Sartain	...	Fat Adolph
Robert Gould	...	Mardy Stoog
Antonia Dauphin	...	Sonja Nathanson
Billy Silva	...	Elmo
Caitlin Ferguson	...	Spike

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Korean | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

Pfeiffer/Blocker Production

Quotes:

Hilly Blue: I prefer priests. They're *real* hypocrites.

Weird and wonderful

Alan Rudolph's 'Trouble in Mind' has kept coming back to haunt me over the years. Rudolph's vogue was in the late '80s and ended as quickly as it began for some unknown reason. His films are, if nothing else, original and fascinating. Rudolph always set his movies in some sort of nightmare future, and often disturbingly probable futures. 'Trouble in Mind' is set in "Rain City" aka Seattle in some sort of post-war world where Japanese is as widely spoken by the populace as English. There are enigmas, typical of Rudolph, which are not explained but allowed to simply "be there" as part of the setting. This is refreshing after all the didactic, over-explained and simple-minded plots lobbed at us out of Hollywood. Rudolph, a protegée of Robert Altman, was, like Altman, not really in the Hollywood rut, but unlike Altman and Woody Allen, has not successfully maintained an ongoing production line of new work. I think 'Troube in Mind' is his best film. The story is intriguing and cogent and intellectually challenging as well as beautiful to look at. The only weaknesses or "faux" moments are the moments aphoristic philosophizing by certain of the characters. But these are quickly passed over and forgotten. There are some superb performances from some of Rudolph's regular actors like Genevieve Bujold and Keith Carradine. Kris Kristofferson is also fine as Hawk, the neer-do-well "bad" cop with a heart and a brain. But it is the wonderful performance of Lori Singer that sets the seal on this fine movie. What has happened to her? And then, last but not least, there is Divine in his only performance as a man. And yes, he could act, and he was funny and had charisma without the wig and the high heels and the make-up. There are also excellent performances from the supporting cast, notably, George Kirby as the police chief and Joe Morton as a strange, twisted veteren of some Viet Nam type scenario. The whole thing is sandwiched in between the ever-wonderful vocalizing of Marianne Faithfull's singing of the theme song "Trouble in Mind". A fascinating and haunting film too often dismissed as half-baked and confusing. If you love 'Blade Runner' you'll like 'Trouble in Mind'. In fact they make a fine double feature.