James Franco directs and stars in the trippy film Zeroville, a movie about movies, I think, though can’t say for certain.
Franco plays Vikar, a young man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, with dreams of entering the film industry.
Somewhat of a nutter, Vikar befriends an aging film editor (Jacki Weaver), who shows him the ropes on how to edit a film.
He then discovers that there is a hidden movie scattered amongst the frames of every movie ever made, as he sets out to cut it together, beginning ‘a dreamlike journey into the world of films that eventually ends in tragedy and almost horrific discovery.’
The quoted phrase above comes from the Wikipedia page for the book of the same name that the film is based on, by author Steve Erickson.
It sounds like an ambiguous plot and it appears Franco has adapted it across to his film quite successfully, as judging by this trailer, there’s no telling what’s really going on in this film.
What we can surmise, however, is that Zeroville touches on the themes of film worship and people’s obsession over it, as well as a look at the transitional phase of the Hollywood film industry of the early ’70s, which saw the rise of many a young, renegade director.
Featuring an all-star cast that also includes Megan Fox, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson and Will Ferrell, Zeroville looks like a movie about movies that movie lovers will love.
There does appear to be a dark comedy element to it, but it’s definitely the type of film that has a particular target audience and may not be suitable for the mainstream.
Franco recently received a heap of praise for directing The Disaster Artist (2017), so it’ll be interesting to see how this one goes for him.
Zeroville hits cinemas on 6 September 2019.
COMMENTS