Technical fetishism and trite philosophy abound in Talking to Strangers, a relatively daring American independent film that, despite its strengths, only points out the creative plague in the rest of American independent cinema. Built around a simple gimmick–nine continuous takes arranged in random order and photographed with bravura camera moves and a one-to-one shooting ratio–the film is, metaphorically, about art and the struggle of the artist. Specifically, it is about a pompous, college-educated artiste who tries to find his material by talking to strangers. His type, played by Ken Gruz, is one of mankind’s most despicable–a condescending, egocentric leech who preys on others in order to serve his own need to create art.Read More »
