Trans (1998)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Julian Goldberger

Writers:

Julian Goldberger (story) &
Michael A. Robinson (story) ...

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Anywhere is better than here

Plot:

Ryan Kazinski, 16, is in juvenile detention in Fort Myers, Florida. He gets away one day, and the world is all before him: where should he go...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Juvenile Detention | Airplane | Fight | On The Run

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Jon Daugherty
Ryan Daugherty	...	Ryan Kazinski
Stephanie Davis	...	Boston Cream Girl
Edge	...	Bus Station Manager (as Edge Edgerton)
Michael Gulnac
Justin Lakes
Glenn Papp	...	Downtown Kid
Jeremiah Robinson
Elijah Smith
Trevor Thomas
Charles Walker

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Fort Myers, Florida, USA

Company:

Down Home Productions

Incredible Ignored New American Art

I loved this, a a fantastic soundtrack helps take us through a few days in the life of a 16 year old Ryan Kazinski in a Florida Juvenile Detention, early on a fight breaks out between two boys, while their out picking up trash on the highway. While the guards rush to break them out, several boys just take of running in all directions, Ryan is among them. Its not til they're halfway in the swamp do any of them stop to consider what their doing. It wont come for Ryan til halfway into the movie, when his brother asks "why did you run? You only had a month left?", and he responds, "lets not talk about it. Doesn't matter now". Whatever stupid thing got him locked up, is now rivaled by his equally stupid attempt at escape. His father is never mentioned, and his mother lives in another state he thinks, he and his younger brother who visits him in detention both aren't sure. Once he escapes, freedom includes sitting on the porch with some old guys in front of a gas station, getting beat up in a parking lot for stepping on someones bear bottle tops, listening to fellow escapees free-style, a robbery at a dog pound and stealing a puppy, huffing aerosol out of cool whip in the supermarket, night swimming, evading the police, and visiting his younger brother in turn(the emotional heart of the film). What he does isn't whats impressive about this movie(most of the time hes either a child or an idiot), its the way its shown, the use of music, sound, camera, and voice over, that makes so engrossing. Style over substance maybe, but I prefer to think the movie itself, enriches and exceeds the narrow confines of the story, as all good films should. And now the comparisons: rambling voice over from Terrance Malick, music from Morvern Callar and Paranoid Park(which I wouldn't doubt Van Sant saw before going on to his film), story ala Down By Law, some white trash moments from Harmony Korine(with more compassion and less freak show). But those are its references, and scarecly give you sense of how exhilarating and exuberant the whole thing is. There's little dialog, and the story feels plot less at points, but by the end, every visit and encounter has had consequences on another. If there is a message to this(if there must be), maybe its that even the seemingly meaningless and impulsive decisions made always have consequences later, but they can richocet to worse, just as well as to better. The ending may seem under-thought to some, but I appreciated that it didn't devolve into another muddled indie tragedy. Instead it took off into the clouds. This movie resonated with me, even its unevenness and flaws. I was mesmerized from the first frame to the last. Like southern fried, french new wave. I really, really want the soundtrack. Beautiful and hypnotic.