O is for Otto

On Sunday, in what might become a regular thing, I went to the BFI to see a film. Thinking that we couldn't bear the 3 hours of cinematic awesome that is 'The Godfather' on a Sunday night, we chose to see 'Rage', about which I only knew that it was shot on a camera phone and didn't show any plot. But it was shorter and it had a pretty hot-looking Lily Cole on the poster, so we had ourselves another beer and went in.

At the time, I followed what happened on the screen (which wasn't much, given that all Jude Law, Judi Dench et al do is look into the camera and talk) with interest. The basic premise is that a schoolboy, about whom we know very little, is spending a week behind the scenes at a fashion show in NYC. He gets to talk to some people - an illegal immigrant who fixes up dresses for the models, the designer of the collection, a jaded photographer (Steve Buscemi looking adequately dishevelled) and a model (Cole), who all become witnesses to a mysterious incident involving a motorcycle (don't ask).

The actors seemed to enjoy the focus and license to overact that the set-up allowed, and the sound effects were used pretty effectively to hint at the off-screen action. It was only with a bit of distance that I realised that this film had so many elements in it that I dislike (fashion, a mobile phone being used as a camera, some vague message about viral advertising campaigning and an even more vague message on fashion and the people who care about it) that it was a bit odd I didn't throw my empty beer cup at the tittering eggheads on the screen. The optics reminded me to a painful degree of iPod adverts, and the role of the black detective responsible of the murder investigation was an absolute shambles in terms of writing, characterisation and acting. Same goes for the character of the designer (called Merlin. No, seriously.), who enthusiastically embraces every single prejudice you might have about a fashion designer.

As I said, I didn't think it was bad at the time, and Jude Law as a transvestite is certainly worth a Google search, but overall, this is a seriously lame attempt at being "edgy" or "innovative". I'll tell you what would've been innovative, Sally Potter: Believable characters involved with fashion. But maybe there is no such thing in real life anyway. Oh well.