SXSW15 Review – Ned Rifle (2015)

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Ned-Rifle
Ned Rifle is the third chapter of the Hal Hartley’s (Trust, Fay Grim) Henry Fool trilogy, a story which took 18 years to make.

With mother Fay Grim (Parker Posey; Louie, Spring Breakdown) being sent to prison after being convicted as a terrorist, Ned (Liam Aitkin; How to be a Man, Electrick Children) has been put under witness protection and is living with Reverend Daniel (Martin Donovan: Inherent Vice, Saved!) and his family. After turning to Christianity Ned set’s out to kill his father, the illusive Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan; Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, Strange Culture). To gather more information about his father’s whereabouts, Ned visits his uncle, the ex-poet laureate turned online comedian Simon Grim (James Urbaniak; The Venture Bros, American Splendor). Whilst visiting Simon, Ned meets the mysterious poetry and lipstick obsessed Susan (Aubrey Plaza; Parks and Recreation, Life After Beth) who follows him on his quest to find his father. Of course it turns out that Susan has an ulterior motive for worshipping Simon’s poetry, as the family learn more about her past throughout the film.

Ned Rifle feels very different in tone to the previous films of the trilogy. Partly in it’s concise nature, it’s only 85 minutes long as opposed to Henry Fool’s sprawling 137 minutes. Some of the stylistic choices in the previous films including the photo story action scenes are forsaken for slightly more traditional cinematography. The script is less farcical and though it has it’s twists and turns, is slightly more straight forward in nature. However, despite these changes the film still has Hartley’s subtly clever humour and the simplicity does make it a little bit easier to digest than the previous films.

After Parker Posey’s committed performance in Fay Grim, it was a shame that she wasn’t in Ned Rifle as much. However her brief performance is memorable, particularly for one scene where Fay leads the prison book club. Of course they’re reading really long books cause well, being in prison they’re not going anywhere in a hurry!

Liam Aitkin plays the role of Ned Rifle with real conviction. Henry Fool was his first film at aged seven, and it’s great to see the actor he’s become. A year on from Boyhood, a trilogy shot over 18 years doesn’t seem as impressive as it should do. However I sincerly doubt Ellar Coltrane would ever be able to pull off the performance that Aitkin does in this film. Aubrey Plaza was well cast as the damaged and unquestionably insane Susan, her delivery perfect matching Hartley’s style.

The Henry Fool trilogy has some bold ideas and concepts, and Hartley’s literary intelligent comedy makes the films highly unique. Regardless of whether it’s to your taste, any film fan should be able to recognize the importance of these films and their place in the history of independent cinema. Ned Rifle can be enjoyed on it’s own, but I would urge you to put in the time and energy to watch the full trilogy to fully appreciate Hal Hartley’s unique creation.

★★★

Alice Hubley

Genre: Drama, Comedy Venue: SXSW2015 Running Time: 85 mins Director:Hal Harley Cast: Liam Aitkin, Aubrey Plaza, Parker Posey