Perfect Witness (The Ungodly)

There is a fine line between being objective and becoming a participant. When a report witnesses events unfolding he tries to remain aloof from the proceedings. In this way he can give a faire and unbiased account. The film ‘Perfect Witness’ also known as ‘The Ungodly’ takes a look at the worse case scenario of this situation. We have all seen footage of horrible acts of violence. Now that it seems that every person around has a cell phone with a camera nothing is able to be done without the possibility of being recorded. When a cameraman is shooting something horrible does he have the responsibility to intervene? Is he morally obliged to put his journalistic objectivity aside and possible save a person’s life? These are some of the questions asked by this film. While most of us would agree that the human life is worth far more than any footage no matter no sensational there are people who become obsessed and therefore can not be counted on to always seeing the rational solution to a moral dilemma. This film is concerned with a aspirating film maker who happens to tape a serial killer at work. Anyone in the audience would instantly say take the tape to the police and stop this man before he kills again. For the protagonist of this movie things are not that cut and dried. He is actually torn between making the most detailed documentary of a serial killer ever and stopping a murderer.

The film is directed, produced and co-written by Thomas Dunn and this is his freshman shot at all three positions. For the script he was partnered with Mark Borkowski who previously had written a short subject but this is also his first time out on a feature film. What they have crafted here is a taut thriller about obsession. Both sides of this story are about men who have such an overwhelming need that they cannot adhere to the normal moral and legal values of society. One man can only see the potential for becoming an important and famous film maker. Any sacrifice, even the lives of the victims, is worth making his artistic vision come true. The other man is a serial killer, pushed to taking human life without remorse. Neither is a position that anyone in the audience can even begin to identify with. This makes it a very difficult piece for the writer and director, to pull the audience into a story where nobody has the moral high ground.

Dunn does well as a first time director. His style is straight forward without the film school techniques that mar so many new directors of independent films. There is also a documentary feel to the work that echoes what the character in the film is trying to do. The audience is forced to be a witness to the descent of two men into their obsessions. His use of light and shadow is remarkable. There is one scene where the two men meet for the first time that juxtaposes two figures almost in silhouette against a foreground of a bright playground. It also contrasts the innocence of the children playing with the deadly cat and mouse game the men are about to embark on.

Both Dunn and Borkowski provide a nicely compact script that gets right to the point. The necessary exposition and character development follow organically after an initial scene that will grab your attention. The characters are well formed and unfortunately realistic. There is little to be gained by trying to explain obsession, it just exists and has to be dealt with in one form or another.

The film starts on a dark night in the city. A man is walking alone holding a video camera. He hears the scream of a woman nearby. Going to investigate he sees the woman in only a slip run out of a building followed by a man. They fight and the man stabs her to death. The first man watches hidden behind a dumpster and captures it all on tape. The murder turns and sees the red light of the camera and takes off after the witness to his crime. The man tries to give the killer the slip by running down a side street but his camera is still on and once again the red light betrays his position. The man, Mickey Gravatski (Wes Bentley), goes home. His room is filled with pictures of crime and he lives with his disappointed mother. He wants to be a film maker but his mother just sees him as unemployed. On the phone he tells his friend that he plans to meet with the killer, James Lemac (Mark Borkowski). He leaves a copy of the tape at the killer’s apartment and they meet in a park the next day. Lemac remains cool and collected even though the man next to him knows far too much about him, even the type of cigarette he prefers. Mick has plans to document James going about the planning and execution of his killing. He wants complete interviews and complete access. Mick tells James that if he agrees he will not send the tape to the police unless he is captured. James is intrigued by the concept on the immortality this will bring. Mickey also knows that James prefers attractive older women so he doesn’t fit the profile.

As the project gets started Mick films interviews with James. He goes into the James’ reading of philosophy and how he started at 6 torturing cats in the neighborhood. The fame has begun as both men test and prod each other. Mick wants to know about why James takes out the eyes of his victims but that makes him uneasy. Mick’s best friend Gino (Albert López-Murtra) knows about the plan and is completely against it. Mick assures him that in a few days he will turn James in. This doesn’t happen since both men become strangely addicted to the process of making the film. James now has cats for pets and plays chess with a young boy in the neighborhood, something that doesn’t seem to fit in with a monster. Even a serial killer has to keep up appearances for the sake of the neighbors.

This film works well because it is more psychological and visceral. There scenes of brutal violence but the best the film has to offer are the conversations between Mick and James. Both actors have amazing control over their characters. They slowly let down their guard with each other showing that there are many aspects of their personalities that are the same. Mick does get the background information from James that he wanted but that is almost secondary to the audience. The purpose of this film is the obsession not how the men got to this point. We have all heard the same things from serial killers; bad home life and childhood, substance abuse and all the rest. While James is taking to Mick thet are both feeding emotionally on one another For as much as they are similar there is another important thing holding them together, mutual distrust.

The film is released on DVD by First Look Entertainment. They certainly are the place to do for little independent films like this one. Even if you are up on the art house circuit this film may have come in under your radar. It is a thought provoking thriller that may not have the action many crave but it has talent in the story and presentation. This is certainly one worth taking a chance on. I look forward to what the writer and director come up with next.

Posted 02/09/08