Living in Oblivion (1995)

"Living in Oblivion" (1995) - is a 91 minutes long low-budget independent movie about trials and tribulations during making a low budget independent movie called.. "Living in Oblivion". Writer-director Tom DiCillo made in 1991 a film called "Johnny Suede" starring a young and unknown at the time actor named Brad Pitt. "Johnny Suede" was a failure with both critics and viewers but an artist can learn from any experience however disappointing or devastating it is. DiCillo wrote a short story from his frustration and turned his experience into a smart, funny, playful, and highly enjoyable second feature "Living in Oblivion" that takes place during one day of shooting a low budget film. Photographed with the color-to-black-and-white transitions, "Living in Oblivions" has surreal, strangely poetic and amusing quality to it.

The cast is solid and consists of DiCillo's friends who are the regulars in his films. Steve Buscemi, the king of independent movies, in the rare starring role, plays Nick Reve, a long-haired, dedicated but frustrated director who in the moments of creative inspiration has to get back to earth and to deal with the tensions between his leading lady (Catherine Keener, before her star-making turn in "Being John Malkovich" but already a wonderfully talented beautiful and sexy actress) with whom he is silently in love and the male star, arrogant egotist Chad Palomino (James LeGros does an un-flattering but hilarious and quite accurate impersonation of the real life model for Chad). If these problems are not enough, there is eye-patch wearing sensitive leather-clad cameraman named Wolf (Dermot Mulroney) who went through a painful break-up right on the set. There is a great scene with an irritated dwarf Tito (Peter Dinklage) who was hired for a dream sequence and who hates dreams with the dwarfs in them: "Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it? Do you know anyone who's had a dream with a dwarf in it? No! I don't even have dreams with dwarfs in them. The only place I've seen dwarfs in dreams is in stupid movies like this!" There is also a smoke machine that explodes every time when turned on...And to top it all, Nick's senile mother surprisingly shows up during the shot and eventually saves the dream sequence and the movie. That's what the mothers are for, aren't they?

Fmovies: Indie director Tom DiCillo has produced a small (as yet) body of work, but has shown consistent flair for making movies which exude great affection for his characters. This affection is contagious; the actors seem to relish their roles and in turn many viewers will share the enjoyment.

Indie stalwarts Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener (who's graced four DiCillo movies) shine as director and actress on a trouble laden indie shoot. Keener does a virtuoso turn in a scene calling for her to perform the same take over and over, each time with less and less conviction.

"A Box of Moonlight" and "Real Blonde" while having comic sides to them, also have much depth. "Living in Oblivion" is an outright comedy; it's lightweight, but very funny.

Living in Oblivion is an unusual, funny, and interesting example of the movie-about-movies genre, focusing on the low budget, independent movie making scene. The lead performances by Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener are first-rate, and the supporting cast is excellent as well. The film veers from satire to realism to surrealism in depicting the problems and tensions involved in off-off-Hollywood filmmaking. One problem with its structure, though, is the repeated "dream trick." Its first use creates shock and interest, but its second use creates a serious distraction in the third act since the viewer keeps wondering whose dream he or she may be in this time. Overall, an enjoyable film - highly recommended to indie film buffs.

Living in Oblivion fmovies. A movie director and his leading lady feel the pressure as their shoot teeters on the edge of disaster ...

Witty and big-hearted satire of the process of making an independent movie. This comes in three parts, each act dealing with a particular scene and bringing a change of emphasis. The story is almost perfectly self-contained, with unity of action, place and time, and the writing and editing keeps it clipping along at a good pace. The writer/director uses the full potential of his set up by bringing in a host of characters and a range of technical aspects of the shoot, and yet wraps it up nicely through the romantic concerns of his creations.

Performances are good all round, and some real insights are delivered - the objection to dwarfs in dream sequences, the most self-obsessed person in the room coming up with the best idea (the blocking for the "admired from afar" scene). It's not a laugh a minute, but there are plenty of good moments.

The only time I noticed the music was when the director was giving a pep talk to one of the actors. Maybe there could have been more jokes on that "score" - or maybe I missed them.

Overall: Not a classic, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Steve Buscemi may or may not have been the first choice by writer/director Tom DiCillo for the lead role of Nick, the director behind the three (err, one) film(s) being made within the film Living in Oblivion, but it works so well it's impossible to see anyone else in the role. Buscemi, who is one of the prime character actors of the past fifteen years, has that range of being grounded, of being out of control, of being funny, and of being sincere even in the strangest circumstances. His character, as the quintessential indie film director of the film, tries to keep some control on what goes on, but as is seen, things don't go quite as planned.

Living in Oblivion is one of those little delights for a film buff to see, or perhaps of a particular film buff. On a personal level I connect with some of this as I was a production assistant on indie films that were not far off from this. DiCillo, whether or not you've been in situations like this (which most of us haven't) brilliantly captures the coldness on a set, the uncomfortableness, the technical difficulties, and just the plain old emotional toll that goes on with the film-making process (notably, when it's under a million dollars being made). That it's a comedy of errors helps a lot, and that you never really know which way the story will turn at times. The film is split up in three acts, the first (for me) being the strongest and most affecting, as Nick tries to direct Catherine Keener's Nicole Springer in a heartfelt talk with her mother. Multiple takes bring on more woes, until Nick finally snaps (one of the funniest scenes perhaps in any film from the 90's). The other two segments come closer to being as great, one being a slick scene involving a buff man and Nicole, and the other being a very strange dream that has some kinks to work out.

I've seen this film now several times, and the first time my enjoyment was more in the surface comedy of it all, and of course the performances. But with each passing view I get more and more what film-making, and what makes 'indie films' or just films in general, so appealing- there's drama, but there has to be some humor to get in the seams; there's romance, but not always in the ways you'd expect; when it's realer, more power to it. The ending also, while maybe the weaker part of the film, is still charming, and gives an idea as to what pleasures can come from such chaos on the set. I love it.

This film captures the true essence of the stresses involved on a film set. The story is about the characters involved in the process rather than the film-within-a-film. While the film is funny it is so close to the bone that I was initially surprised to see it appear in the comedy section.

Steve Buscemi is right at home in this film, his influence rubs off on the support actors, and his stress is convincing. This film makes you squirm but laugh - unlike conventional comedies - in this film you identify and live with the actors.

The screenplay timing is superb and taunts the audience to an almost stressful level. Offset this with lots of comedy and you're left with a powerful mix. You are almost relieved when it is over... but you are left with great memories of a strange but enjoyable film.

Absolutely the highest possible recommendation, especially if you can relate to film making, acting or directing.