The Blackout (1997)

A debauched Hollywood movie actor tries to piece together one wild night in Miami years earlier which remains a drug-induced blur, and soon finds out that some questions about his past are best left unanswered.

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writers:

Abel Ferrara, Marla Hanson,

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Claudia Schiffer, Béatrice Dalle

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Matty
Claudia Schiffer	...	Susan
Béatrice Dalle	...	Annie 1
Sarah Lassez	...	Annie 2
Dennis Hopper	...	Mickey Wayne
Steven Bauer	...	Mickey's Studio Actor
Laura Bailey	...	Mickey's Studio Actress
Nancy Ferrara	...	Mickey's Studio Actress
Andrew Fiscella	...	Mickey's Studio Actor (as Andy Fiscella)
Vincent Lamberti	...	Mickey's Studio Actor
Victoria Duffy	...	Script Girl
Nicholas De Cegli	...	Miami Drug Dealer
Daphne Duplaix	...	Fly Girl (Daphne)
Mercy Lopez	...	Fly Girl (Jasmine)
Lori Eastside	...	That Girl

Storyline

Matty is a film star who is tired of Hollywood life and moves to Miami, where he makes a proposal to his girlfriend Annie. She is not ready to marry him, and it is revealed that she had an abortion. Depressed because he lost his baby (though it was him who initially asked for abortion), Matty, together with his friend Micky, go on a wild night, they meet a waitress also called Annie and in the end of the night Matty passes out. A year and a half later Matty lives in New York, leads a clean life visiting AA meetings and has a relationship with attractive blonde Susan. He is still obsessed with Annie and returns to Miami, where unexpected news about Annie 2 (the waitress) waits for him.

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Plot Keywords:

abortion | actor | water | sex | strangulation | 

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Taglines:

the darkest secrets are the ones we hide from ourselves

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong pervasive drug use, language, sexual content and violence

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 June 1997 (France)

Also Known As:

Blackout

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

DEM 25,539 (Germany) (6 February 1998)

Gross:

DEM 25,539 (Germany) (6 February 1998)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cipa, Les Films Number One, MDP Worldwide

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Matthew Modine first read the script, he told Abel Ferrara that he thought it was horrifying.

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Quotes

Mickey Wayne: It's not a question of "Did I"? It's "Do I remember"?

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Connections

Referenced in I Dreamt Under the Water (2008)

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Soundtracks

"COLD BLOODED"
Written by Joe Delia, Schoolly D
Performed by Heather Redd

User Reviews

Another walk on the dark side with Abel Ferrara

Neurosis and character antipathy do not make for commercial success. THE BLACKOUT bypassed cinemas in the US, and here in Australia. The multiplex monster has no room for mavericks like Ferrara.

As there are no others quite like the rebellious Ferrara, he takes liberties from his own catalogue. This time, there are shades of SNAKE EYES (1993), and it pre-empts NEW ROSE HOTEL (1998). In form though, it owes much more to Hitchcock, and VERTIGO.

Like VERTIGO, THE BLACKOUT masquerades as a thriller, but is more concerned with the nature of identity. Relocating to Miami, the film is aesthetically great, though Modine looks (justifiably) clueless. The axis of the film is the concept rather than plot and the clash of high-art pretension with low-brow sleaze is conscious.

Some ideas don't come off, and the form of THE BLACKOUT is awkward. But if it is too cold and removed for most filmgoers tastes, it is still a showcase for an uncompromising, daring director, willing to upset accepted conventions.

The biggest disappointment is that his invention is left in this case to an unheralded release, and will go largely unnoticed.