Bubble (2005)

Set against the backdrop of a decaying Midwestern town, a murder becomes the focal point of three people who work in a doll factory.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writer:

Coleman Hough

Stars:

Debbie Doebereiner, Omar Cowan, Dustin James Ashley

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Debbie Doebereiner	...	Martha
Omar Cowan	...	Martha's Father
Dustin James Ashley	...	Kyle (as Dustin Ashley)
Phyllis Workman	...	Bakery Shopkeeper
Laurie L. Wee	...	Kyle's Mother (as Laurie Lee)
Daniel R. Christian	...	Factory Supervisor
Misty Wilkins	...	Rose
Madison Wilkins	...	Jesse
K. Smith	...	Jake
Decker Moody	...	Detective Don Taylor
Thomas R. Davis	...	Sergeant Davis
Ross Clegg	...	CSI
Scott Smeeks	...	Officer Smeeks
M. Stephen Deem	...	Pawn Shop Owner
Leonora K. Hornbeck	...	Tackle Shopkeeper

Storyline

In a small North American town, the middle age Martha and the twenty and something years old Kyle work in a doll factory. Martha nurses her old father and usually gives a lift to Kyle, who works also in the night-shift cleaning a shovel factory. When the young single mother Rose is hired to work with airbrush and stencils in the factory, she is befriended by Kyle and Martha. In a Friday night, Rose hires Martha to work as babysitter of her two year old daughter Jesse and Martha finds that she is dating Kyle. Rose returns back home early after stealing Kyle's savings, and Martha witnesses Jesse's father Jake accusing Rose of stealing weed and money from his house. On the next morning, Rose is found strangled in her house and Detective Don Taylor interviews Jake, Kyle and Martha along his investigation.

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Plot Keywords:

factory | doll factory | single mother | murder | investigation | 

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Taglines:

Another Steven Soderbergh Experience

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Simultaneously released on cable, DVD and in theaters.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Glory Road/Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World/The Three Burials of Melquides Estrada/Bubble/Why We Fight/Tristan & Isolde (2006)

User Reviews

Simple and Unexpected

I had been meaning to see Bubble for a really long time. The DVD always popped up on my "recommended films" list on NetFlix and the cover looked really compelling. When I finally saw it I have to admit I was totally surprised. Steven Soderbergh has such a range, from high budget, high profile films that feature every star in Hollywood to something like Bubble, which was shot in a small town in Ohio using non-actors from the area and a mostly improvised script. All of his films are interesting and all of them, in my opinion, are good.

Bubble is a slice of life film which goes very dark very quickly with very little explanation. The non-actors that make up this perfectly awkward ensemble cast do a spectacular job integrating their own personalities and experiences with the plot of the film. The performances in this film are wonderful and could not have been achieved with big name actors.

Bubble was also shot on DV which doesn't show at all. I have always said, if a filmmaker has truly mastered DV then the audience will never know it's not film. Granted some shots in Bubble couldn't pass for 35 mm but it's pretty damn close.

Bubble is complex in it's simplicity. This is the fist of Soderbergh's 6 low budget picture deal with HD Net. The other 5 will follow the same formula: choose a subject, choose a town, choose local actors. If you feel like seeing something way outside the mainstream but oddly close to home Bubble is a good choice. Just don't watch it expecting any of the characteristics of modern Hollywood.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Banka

Filming Locations:

USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$70,664, 29 January 2006

Gross USA:

$145,626

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$261,966

Company Credits

Production Co:

Extension 765, HDNet Films, 2929 Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

73 min 90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1