Visions of Violence (film)

Visions of Violence is a 2007 experimental film that was photographed, written, produced, and directed by Christopher L. Golon, the writer/director of 2009's, Knock 'Em Dead, Kid (film). Having a lot in common with David Holzman's Diary and inspired by both Medium Cool and the gritty gang films of the late 1970's (The Warriors (film), The Wanderers (1979 film), Over the Edge (film), and Boulevard Nights). Visions of Violenceis at once a fascinating time capsule of life in the 1990's as well the ultimate video diary, which includes four different video formats, Super 8 film, audio conversations, and still photos. In a non-traditional, experimental way, the vignettes unfold to form the narrative as a cohesive whole. This project is a marriage between documentary reality and theatrical fiction. And like Medium Cool, this movie is intensely American in its imagery and ambition.

Plot

New Britain, Connecticut.

1992. Just out of high school, 17-year-old Christopher picks up a video camera and periodically documents his life which includes his close friend, Jeff. Slowly he strings together a video diary. Christopher records the antics of his friends: Arthur, Jake, Jeff, and Jeff B. Life is all fun and games and consists of working at an ice cream bar, hanging out, girls, and vandalism.

1993. Addictions such as gambling move in. Jake engages in a brawl with Kooz, a local tough, over an unpaid gaming debt as Jeff struggles to break it up. The camera introduces Mike P. (a co-worker), Rich (a co-worker), and A. Brzoska (a gambling friend). As the summer plods along, an event between a 17-year-old youth and the police spirals out of control and descends into a chaotic riot. Sights and sounds of the riot are filmed. A customer who frequents the ice cream bar lends his thoughts on why the riot occurred.

1994. Life situations start to change for everyone as Christopher, Jeff, and Arthur are arrested one night. This event causes Christopher to focus more on what matters: film school. Sadly, Christopher cannot afford film school and sets the camera down for a while.

1995. Jeff and Ken, another ice cream bar co-worker, go to talk to a guy named Andy, who’s accused of date raping a girl they know. Christopher captures the beating of Andy by the two as they deal out some ‘street justice.’ Later in the year, Jeff hangs out with Ken and Mike P. at the ice cream bar. Jeff has words with a customer and an altercation breaks out.

1996. Christopher, no longer at the ice cream bar, works at a video store. Up at the ice cream bar, a new element has moved in: drugs. Ryan and Justin, new employees at the ice cream bar, argue over drugs and then beat a man who tries to steal their product.

1997. Kooz and Andy have a vicious brawl in the ice cream bar parking lot over a gambling debt. Kooz gets 90 days in jail and Christopher has his footage confiscated by the police as evidence. Christopher, back working at the ice cream bar, clears the air with Andy. A trip to New Jersey, interludes with females, and a security guard who spouts bizarre stories round out the year.

1998. New employee Randy talks with Jeff about mugging someone for some ‘fast cash’ while the two drink hard liquor and do ‘whip-its’ from whipped cream cans. Christopher then introduces Dave, Danny, and Jason. Dave has trouble with a girl named Barbara while Christopher tries to put together a ‘fake’ documentary on vandals. After this doesn’t seem to work, Christopher, Jeff, and Dave, along with Danny and Jason, wander the streets filming people and things. Later in the year, Christopher and Dave drive to a party and discuss who will be there. A week after the party, the two discuss the aftermath of the party, including some liaisons with females. Dave sums up their life to this point, “we had fun, you know we did.”

Cast

• Jeff Marquis as Jeff
• Christopher L. Golon as Christopher
• David Pawloski as Dave
• Michael Kusznir as Kooz
• Dave Lounder as Ice Cream Customer
• Daniel Eshoo as Dan 'The Man'
• Arthur Kurpaska as Arthur
• Andy Brzoska as A. Brzoska
• Rich Prokop as Rich
• S. Al Mottram as The Security Guard

Production

The genesis for this project began after a failed gangster movie. After filming in a freezing Connecticut parking garage, the night before Thanksgiving 2005, director Christopher L. Golon realized he didn't believe in the current project and he started thinking about other ideas. That other idea would become Visions of Violence.

Golon gave an interview in 2010 and spoke on the project. He said, "Certainly those who have seen it will tell you it's an odd movie. Visions of Violence is a reality-mockumentary, some is real and some isn't. It's a very weird project that came together in the winter of 2005-2006. It's a video diary that uses many different formats (VHS, Mini DV, Super 8mm film, stills, audio) and it has some great dialogue, some great moments where the characters really get into some strange yet interesting conversations. I'm in it and I play myself, most of the cast play themselves."

The scene in the 1998 section that features Chris and Dave driving towards a party totals only 12 minutes in the final film. The scene was filmed in real time as the two drove. It took over 75 minutes to make the drive as the two drove in circles (at times) yet the scene was filmed in 1 take and 1 take only. The footage was then cut down to the 12 minutes in the finished film to make the conversation more interesting.

Release

The film was released on August 28, 2007 in the United States.

References

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