Four Eyed Monsters
by James Roland
The greatest artists throughout history have been neurotic, sexually confused, and dirt poor. Based on these guidelines, the film Four Eyed Monsters should be a cinematic Sistine Chapel.
The film was written and directed by Arin Crumley and Susan Buice, who also serve as the lead actors. It is a blend of fiction and documentary that chronicles the meeting and courtship of two twenty-something white American youths. Sure, the premise is so banal it makes the mouth numb to say it out loud, but this freshman effort carries potential like Atlas carries the world.
Early reviews from the 2005 Slamdance Film Festival included light technical critiques, but were loaded with accolades for the sincerity of the film and its makers.
The trailer isn't summer blockbuster material, but it's beautiful and engrossing and leaves the viewer intrigued that the film might actually have something to say about modern mating rituals -- other than the profound Hollywood insights of, "Hmm, maybe I shouldn't have had sex with her sister" and "Love is good, smiles are good, therefore love is smiling, so get your teeth whitened."
But the main reason you want to see Four Eyed Monsters is that you can't see Four Eyed Monsters.
Crumley and Buice became frustrated, worn out, and tired of closed doors when they attempted to sell their film. So they decided to edit their countless hours of behind-the-scenes footage and created a series of video podcasts, now available through iTunes and www.myspace.com/foureyedmonsters, that are fronting an effort to promote the film.
The podcasts link together and become a film themselves; each episode ends with a cliffhanger that leaves you checking your e-mail every day until they post the next installment. They highlight the filmmakers' trials and hard work, both with the film and with each other as they struggle to maintain a fledgling relationship through the stress and trials of filmmaking: Empty fridges and drained credit cards, sleepless nights and missed plane flights. Romance, struggle, passion, failure and the hope for success.
Michelangelo couldn't paint a better picture of modern love.