“Chiaroscuro, Baby”

The H-Bomb: Young artist Calvin is facing some difficult decisions in his life; he has to decide what kind of artist he wants to be, and he has to decide between two very different women.

“Independent” is a word that is really over-used these days; films produced by studio off shoots like Focus (Universal) or Fox Searchlight are considered “independent.” Films featuring major stars working at reduced rates are considered “independent.” Films with budgets of $10 or 20 million are considered “independent.” That’s why “Chiaroscuro, Baby” is something of a breath of fresh air for me; in this age of phony, fully studio supported “indies”, “Chiaroscuro, Baby” is a true blue, honest to God independent film, in the true sense of the term.

It was shot entirely in my stomping ground of Jacksonville, Fl (largest city in the U.S., geographically), on a small budget with no stars or studios anywhere in site. It was made the way indies used to be made, through determination, imagination, and a lot of people who care.

The story, at it’s core, is fairly simple. Calvin (Christopher Bolla) is a fledgling twenty-something artist living in Jacksonville. His girlfriend is Nancy (Christianna L. White), a blond bombshell who is high strung, high maintenance, and a bit of a swinger. Calvin has found a lucky break, he has an opportunity to become rich and famous with his collages. Only problem, he’s not interested in making collages, his real passion is to paint. Yet everyone around him, especially Nancy, who has finally come to a decision on the marriage proposal he made to her 3 years ago, now that Calvin may become wealthy, wants him to pursue the collages.

Everyone, except Marjorie (Milan Alley), a feisty young woman who Calvin meets by accident. An artist herself, Marjorie sees something in Calvin’s paintings, volunteers to model (nude) for him, and encourages him to keep painting. One career path will surely lead to financial success, the other, while more fulfilling, is also more uncertain… oh what, oh what, shall our Calvin do?

The film was shot in black & white and has a very “Swingin’ 60’s” vibe to it, though it’s set in modern day. It portrays the inner circles of the art world as being about sex, drugs, &… well, more sex and more drugs. Writer/Director Anthony Kilburn shows that while he may come from the theatre, he is a natural born talent behind the camera. He gives us a real feel for the world these characters inhabit (the art world… yikes!), his direction is stylish without being distracting, and while he does supply copious amounts of nudity, none of it seems gratuitous. He also elicits strong performances from his actors.

Bolla plays the conflicted Calvin to a T. He made him perfectly believable and relatable. White is great as the materialistic, opportunistic bitch Nancy, who pitches a fit any time she sees Calvin even conversing with another woman, yet has no qualms about jumping into a threesome when she feels the urge. As Marjorie, Alley is wonderfully witty, caustic, and sympathetic. We know when we meet her she’s the woman Calvin should be with… but does he know that?

While I enjoyed “Chiaroscuro, Baby” (how many of you know how to pronounce that?), being the critic that I am, I do have some criticisms. First, a technical note; I don’t know what the filmmakers used to record the sound on this film, but it was not recorded well (me suspects camera mic). Not too often, but at times, I had a hard time hearing what was being said, and some of the dialogue I completely missed altogether. Another issue I have is the length, the film, frankly, is overlong and it does drag a little in parts.

I also think there were some side characters (including a requisite token gay guy) and subplots that, while they were played and executed well, didn’t really need to be there, and I think distracted a little too much from the main love triangle aspect of the movie (as well as contributing to its over-length). I also thought a big scene near the end, which I won’t spoil, played out kind of silly, and to me, seemed out of step with the rest of the film.

However, all that noise aside, I liked it. It’s rare to see an actual indie film anymore. They really are a dying breed. It’s even rarer to see one that was shot in my neck of the woods. And it’s even rarer still to see one that’s actually any good (believe me, I know). I’m a big believer in supporting my local independent film scene, and that’s why I was pleased to find that “Chiaroscuro, Baby” is well written, well acted, and overall quite entertaining. It’s an obvious labor of love, and I’m glad I got a chance to see it. It will be making it’s official premier in November, and I hope it gets picked up by someone, somewhere, so maybe you get a chance to see it as well.