Choking Man

I just saw this film at the Miami International Film Festival and felt compelled to recommend it. The story revolves around an unconventional protagonist in the form of a diner dishwasher that struggles with debilitating shyness. It's a poignant piece that wonderfully highlights a complexity and depth of character in unlikely lead roles that might otherwise be considered too simple to be subjects of a feature film. The film does this while avoiding any temptation of showing its characters as blissfully simple and idyllic which conveys a realism that is appreciated and, for me, made the film a pleasure to enjoy. The characters have strengths and weaknesses and they share the same emotional influences that make us all both heroes and villains in one mind and body.

I understand the premise, the characters, the gritty realism, but what I don't understand what this movie is about. During the film, I kept thinking about how "In Between Days", also released this year, was a far superior film about the immigrant experience. That film's overall "alone in the world" sense was conveyed much better. I liked the character of Amy, played by Ms. Yuan, but I don't feel enough was done for her. The character of Jorge, while I understand his pathological shyness, is annoying. I've been told this actor is good, and he probably is, but this role does nothing for me. And, Mandy Patinkin, usually so good, is completely wasted in his role. He is clearly a one note performer in the role of the diner owner. I like that the film was shot on location in Queens, applaud the effort the writer/director/producer made, understand all the characters, but do not like the film. I will, however, look for the films the two main characters have been in. They have potential, but this film shouldn't be the one they're most proud of.

A simple story of an Ecuadorian young man earning a living as a dishwasher at a diner in Queens, New York. Above the dishwashing station, a standard poster on how to deal with a choking person. The young man sees that everyday and it becomes clear that this will have a part to play somewhere.

Among other characters, an American cook and an oriental waitress complete a sort of potential love triangle. Much of the film is spent around the trio and life at the diner. Near the end, if feels a tad too long, but be patient. What's cute about the plot is that the ending is amusingly anti-climatic. You'll have to see for yourself.

A true American indie. Done with a US$400K budget.

I was going thru the cable guide one Saturday night, and I added a bunch of indie films from Sundance and IFC to my DVR record list. I recorded a few movies, and tonight I watched the first- Choking Man. It's the story of an Ecuadorian dishwasher working at a small diner in Queens who suffers from severe social anxiety and falls in love with a new Chinese waitress.

The film is well made, the director knew what he was doing and the DP did a very nice job of making it all look fantastic. The action was broken up by scenes of animation dominated by bunny rabbits and other odd stuff. Those animated sequences were dream-like, and it all blended together nicely.

The music was really fantastic- a lot of bells, toy piano sounding stuff, slow yet flowing music that added a nice depth to the action on screen. The music was a character in itself in some places, used aptly to convey a whole slew of emotions that a lot of the character themselves never portrayed all that strongly.

The movie overall- not all that great. The main character, Jorge who supposedly suffers from morbid shyness…well, he came off as retarded. You would meet someone like this and wonder if there was something wrong with them mentally. Shyness is one thing, but refusing to even look at people or say anything to them when they ask you a question- I've never encountered anyone like that, and if I did I'd probably just assume they suffer from mental retardation and leave it at that.

The problem with this movie is that Jorge isn't just unlikeable. He's worse. He's annoying. He's SO weird you don't really care what happens to him. I'm sure people like him exist in this world, but they're so far out on the periphery that in a film like this- he almost seems completely fake. The guy just comes off so badly to me that I didn't even want to see him. I would have rather watched scenes from any other character in this movie, as long as Jorge never showed his face.

That is a major problem for me, and one that cannot be overcome. It's the film's downfall. That and it was weird. There are a number of very odd things that happen in the movie and don't make a lot of sense. Someone will try to say it's deep and thoughtful, and that I just didn't get it. If so- I say 'oh well.' I certainly won't cry over that.

Independent, low budget movies are my favorites. Movies about characters more than what they do are my favorites. Gritty movies set in gritty locations are my favorites. Movies in which almost nothing happens are my favorites. Movies filmed in New York are my favorites because New York is my home and my favorite place on earth. So I had great expectations for Choking Man, because it looked like it had nearly everything I love most in a movie. Man, was I disappointed!

This is a phony, manipulative and unrelentingly annoying movie. It's as phony, manipulative and unrelentingly annoying as a 1980s sitcom with a too-loud laugh track. Every character is a caricature: the dumb immigrant is EXTREMELY dumb; the old, brassy, heart-of-gold waitress is EXTREMELY brassy and gold-hearted; the gruff diner owner with a heart of gold is EXTREMELY gruff and gold-hearted; the obnoxious Irish bully is EXTREMELY obnoxious; the sweet Chinese girl is so sweet she made my teeth hurt. There is not one believable human being in the whole cast. I hated this movie.

People who go on and on about how great this movie is must love American television, because that's exactly where this movie belongs, as a TV movie on the Hallmark Channel or Lifeline or even on NBC or ABC or Fox. It takes all the things that can make a movie great and cheapens and twists them into a revolting, irritating glob of phony, rigged, forced emotionalism. This is no quirky, gritty, unconventional independent masterpiece. It is as predictable and conventional and crummy and corny and irritating as an episode of The Waltons.