By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.3 cats
Director: Albert Birney | Kentucker Audley
Starring: Constance Shulman | Grace Glowicki | Kentucker Audley | Linas Phillips | Penny Fuller | Reed Birney
Country: united_states
Year: 2022
Running time: 91
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11398346/reference
Chris says: “I knew I adored this film about ten minutes in when the title card appeared (let’s just say it involves an ice cream cone.) It’s quirky for sure, set in a near-future where dreams are taxed by the government. James Preble (played by co-director Kentucker Audley) is a wispy tax auditor whom with his retro suit and mustache looks like he stepped out of the early 20th century; his assigned client, Bella (Penny Fuller) lives in the titular structure, the exterior of which is always viewed from a distance, romanticized like a beacon on a hilltop. A kooky elderly artist, Bella never made the switch from VHS to digital in the mandatory recording of her nightly dreams, so Preble has to set up shop, viewing and immersing himself in every last one for his audit.
“From there, waking reality and dreams overlap and dissolve into each other thanks to the curious jerry-rigged helmet Bella, and then Preble dons with increased frequency. The whole thing plays out like a thrift-store version of a Michel Gondry or Charlie Kaufman film: deeply surreal but also charmingly handmade, the production design deliberately appearing as if held together by common household items. What keeps the quirkiness from becoming terminal is a sustained gentleness which somehow manages to remain on the right side of twee. Audley and his co-director/writer Reed Birney (they also made SYLVIO together, which I need to check out) likely won’t court a fraction of Kaufman’s audience and aren’t trying to. STRAWBERRY MANSION ends up more a state of mind than a physical place and I found it exceedingly welcoming. 4.5 cats
“(Screened at IFFBoston 2021.)”
Michael says: “Here’s a film from IFFBoston that Chris and I finally disagree on!
“As the film kicked off, I wanted to like STRAWBERRY MANSION, I really did. I’m a sucker for inventive, low-tech science fiction on screen, and the premise of STRAWBERRY MANSION was pretty interesting. In the future, corporate powers and the government are heavily involved with the dreamscape. All dreams are recorded, and then taxed, and worse, as we soon learn, are fertile ground for advertisements! It seems that dreams are the final frontier (or the next?) in advertising, and these corporate interests will stop at nothing to market their products through dreams. James Preble is a dream auditor, and his next case involves an older woman named Arabella Isadora. From the moment he arrives, there’s something unusual about this case. First Arabella makes James take a lick of a strawberry gelato cone before entering her home (it’s a moment that returns toward the film’s conclusion in a profound way). She also insists that he stay with her for the duration of the audit, as she lives in the countryside, far from any hotels. He reluctantly agrees, and is dismayed to learn that all her dreams are recorded on videotape, rather than the current technology. As the film progresses, James becomes enamored with Arabella’s (younger) dream self, and uncovers the insidious plot led by her son revolving around the advertisements in dreams. From there the movie launches into a bit of a fantasy adventure, with mouse-headed sailors, and surf breaching caterpillars.
“It’s funny, when I think back to recap STRAWBERRY MANSION for this review, my memories are growing fonder, but while I watched it I know I was very disappointed, impatient, and not impressed. On the plus side, it was an inventive concept, with a gentle love story at its core. The love story between James and Arabella was awkward and strangely handled. In one sense I really enjoyed that James was falling in love with this woman’s dream self, while he was simultaneously annoyed by her real self. I enjoyed that as the story progressed, his feelings towards the real Arabella softened despite her age, but overall, I didn’t quite buy the love story. In dreams are we not often our idealized selves? He wasn’t really falling in love with a real person. I also found the film trying hard to be whimsical, and too often it just felt forced, the shifts in storytelling, from reality to dream to reality felt awkward. And while I appreciated the more practical effects that gave the film a more nostalgic feel, I was too often reminded of DAVE MADE A MAZE, which won the Chlotrudis Best Production Design award and handled this type of look so much better. The acting was… odd, and I’m not sure if it was intentionally stylized or just clumsy. Co-writer/director Kentucker Audley (with Albert Birney) made an appealing Treble with his gentle manner and non-threatening good looks, but he occasionally came across as stiff and self-conscious. Penny Fuller played a nice eccentric as the older Arabella, but Grace Glowcki’s dream Arabella was awkward and over-earnest. Sadly, I’m only giving STRAWBERRY MANSION 2.5 cats, which is probably a full cat higher than I had originally thought I would. But strangely enough, now after writing about it, I may want to watch it again…
“Screened at IFFBoston 2021”
Brett says: “It’s hard to view a film like this and not fall into the trap of making Terry Gilliam comparisons. Along that line of thinking, STRAWBERRY MANSION comes up a little short, and perhaps it’s quite unfair to directors Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney to set such a standard for their unique approach in this film. Beyond the Gilliam absurdity, from an all-around production standpoint, this film has quite a Peter Strickland aesthetic at times as well. Along those lines, a motif of video tapes (VHS) is pertinent to the plot of the film, and the grainy, dusty playback of the film actually appears to be VHS quality, a fitting visual choice from the film-makers.
“As far as the connection, the overall effect for viewers will likely yield varied results. It is quite niche in its attempted appeal.
“Symbolically, the title ‘mansion’ offers some insight into the themes of the film. Main character James is a dream auditor. In this somewhat dystopian future (complicated by and ironic in its use of vibrant pinks, blues, greens, etc. rather than grays or darker/shadier hues usually featured in dystopian settings), dreams are recorded, and features purchased and inserted into dreams are taxable by the federal government. The conflict of the film revolves around James’ encounter with a lady who has not paid her dream taxes in 7 years. All that said, the absurdity of capitalist ventures and principles are targeted under the guise of this absurdist film-making approach, all accomplished in a dead pan approach, especially from the lead actor—Kentucker Audley himself.
“At a certain point, the plot takes on a feel almost like a Roald Dahl storybook that’s come to life. From cemetery ventures to pink dream apartment encounters to seafaring searches for the past (or present, or maybe future?), it’s a tale that’s all over the place once the characters’ eyes go closed and the unconscious mind goes active.
“With the table set for a dream escapade, it’s just difficult not to think of this popular theme which calls upon otherworldly episodes in a wonderland of sleep in comparison to films that seem to have pulled it off much better: Michel Gondry’s SCIENCE OF SLEEP near the top of that list, for instance. If a viewer can get past the shortcomings in comparison to other like-minded productions, STRAWBERRY MANSION’s tale has plenty to offer. At times, however—and perhaps too often—it is just too far askew for askewness’s sake to stack up. Still, there is undoubtedly a unique charm to this tasty chicken shake of a film.
“3 curiously edited stop-motion cats out of 5“