Love all Bukowski work. Though of course Taormina can pull the episodes whenever he wants, or Youtube or Vimeo could take them down for any reason including none whatsoever, and then theyd be left to a small handful of hard drives, at most, where a random crash might erase them on any given sunday. "Ham on Rye" can be taken as an allegory for middle-class suburban life in America, but it's got added value as a potent mood piece, accomplished with a bare minimum of means. Ham on Rye, the feature film debut of Long Island-native, Los Angeles-beached Tyler Taormina, is one of the strangest and most discomfiting "coming-of-age" films of recent memory.I put "coming-of-age" in quotes because, yes, ostensibly it follows children between the ages of 15 and 18 becoming Something Else, Something Bigger. Not at all. Ham on Rye is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by American author and poet Charles Bukowski. Carson Lunds superb cinematography, apparently influenced by photographers like William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, picks out boys riding skateboards, borrowing Dads Volvo, and talking about the crucial importance of boning, like its a philosophy, like theyre the first ones ever to have had so original a thought. Interesting view into the life of a boy who just never caught a break. As Henry grinds his way through Junior High School, he discovers the manifold pleasures of alcohol and masturbation. 1985. Ham on Rye opened at the Brattle Theatres Virtual Cinema on October 23, where it remains available to rent now. I just thought, I knew the actor, the kid wed hired for that role, and I knew I wanted to have an object kind of move from the kids space to the [adults] space, and I also very pointedly wanted it to be handled very differently by these two people I dont know. Chinaski relates that he has an abusive father, and his mother does nothing to stop his father's abuse. So, its not cute anymore, was the realization I made about her character.. And thats the beauty of LA: theres so many different landscapes to choose from you go two hours outside LA in any direction, and [you can find] anything., Which also helped because we were looking for a sense of the economic differences in the town, added Lund. Though Haleys one of the prettier girls here and has no apparent social shortcomings, shes still unchosen as the room empties out. [2] The story takes place at home, at his different schools, at the doctor's office (for his never-ending acne treatments) and at various other locales around town. As recently as four years ago the films now-29-year-old director, Tyler Taormina, maintained a website for his then-new webseries Suburban Legends, which starred Haley Bodell as Poll Flowerpot, a 12-year-old cynic [who] discovers the absurdities of the world; the site is down now, but if you search around you can still find all three episodes on certain video-uploading hubs. So not only do we shoot La Caada as the stand-in for our kind of upper middle-class neighborhood, but we also shoot in the deeper parts of the Valley more north, like Sylmar, where it [suggests a different class]., Yeah, Sylmar was more the latter half of the film, feeling all the dread and the emptiness, continued Broyles. You are using an out of date browser. Can anyone with expertise or understanding please explain? The specifics are never explained, but we suspect that some years ago, he was in Haleys shoes. Football is difficult for him, but he enjoys the violence that comes with it. Anyone can read what you share. Of course the same is true of books, films, and everything gathered under the sunit all goes eventually. Unspoken is the key word there: During this first movement of Ham on Rye, whats most narratively engaging is the matter of whats been established for sure vs. whats left deliberately unclear. Production companies: Tago Clearing Film Studio, Omnes Films "Let the boy play the piano," said my grandmother. We had done a music video right before going into production on this that was very psychedelic, with a lot of superimpositions and really garish lighting schemes, so maybe that was feeding into it as well.. Thats suggested from the starta scene at a public park that under another director mightve been rendered chaotic but that under Taorminas eye is cut down into digestible insert shots which seem to archive each action or gesture: a hand trying to spark a cheap lighter, another working to retune a guitar, yet another grasping an ad-perfect glass of lemonade. It is an uneasy journey where some find purpose, escaping their suburban constraints, as others remain behind, their blank faces reflecting more circumscribed lives. This was a book I would rather not have read. Get help and learn more about the design. It became about the suburbs I grew up in, and those teenagers left when college began and they didnt come back and a whole generation of teenagers disappeared and who was left? But what kind of dance is this? Though of course Taormina can pull the episodes whenever he wants, or Youtube or Vimeo could take them down for any reason including none whatsoever, and then theyd be left to a small handful of hard drives, at most, where a random crash might erase them on any given sunday. Both Ham on Rye and Im Thinking of Ending Things deal with the tensions of young Americas uncertain future. State Wire: Affordability Limits MAs Higher-Ed Attainment Goals, So Much For Contracts: State Report Blasts MBTA Contractor. Its held at a local sandwich shop called Montys, and begins with everyone dining quietly. In this case, the transgression is, oddly enough, staying at home with your familyand its definitely not a cool one. Its a day were going to remember for the rest of our lives, says the opening dialogue, and the generic phrasing blurs certain lines to build upon the very particular biorhythmic point where Taorminas movie takes place: A kid who says that might be talking about their prom, or about having sex, or about moving out, or maybe even about school graduation, among other possibilitiesbut no matter what, theyre probably talking about something meant to happen in the period that weve come to calling the teenage years. About to read Post office next. Both are extremely uncomfortable. [2] The story takes place at home, at his different schools, at the doctor's office (for his never-ending acne treatments) and at various other locales around town. ), being told to make the most of the big night by parents while occasionally expressing some ambivalence about attending. 6 reviews. Ham on Rye makes no such assurances which of course makes it more honest, even if its oblique lessons will be heard by a tiny, tiny fraction of the number who navigated adolescence by the compass of John Hughes. Ham on Rye is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by American author and poet Charles Bukowski. As a prequel to Bukowski's previous novels, Ham on Rye depicts the origin and development of many of the reoccurring themes of his work as well as the persona of Henry Chinaski. JavaScript is disabled. Were not told when the film is taking place, or where the film is taking place, or even whats the deal with this big local event all the kids are moving towards. this is going to be fun to shootits like shooting a bunch of still lifes, , he continued. We learn more from the young peoples dress, groupings and actions than from the sparse and often inaudible dialogue. No. Ham On Rye was an absolutely enthralling experience and taking this journey with Henry "Hank" Chinaski was nothing short of a delight. ". Like his previous works, Ham on Rye is set in Los Angeles where the author grew up. But now, you see her curiosity throughout the first act of Ham on Rye, and what does it give her? He has only slightly better results in baseball. On the spectacularly well-chosen soundtrack, sixties bubblegum pop sits alongside electronic drones and the inspired reclamation of German New Age flautist Deuters shimmery, folk-horror melodies. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The destination of the walking kids is, well, a delicatessen, and this is where the films similarities to coming-of-age movies like Dazed and Confused ends. Take your time and savor the experience. Ham on Rye is a 1982 semi- autobiographical novel by American author and poet Charles Bukowski. This deliberately coy prologue begets the opening credits sequence (introducing characters with more close-ups of little details, like a tie being fastened or a nail being painted), which then feeds directly into the films real first section, where for about 20 minutes small cliques of seemingly high school-aged kids walk through various neighborhoods on their way to an unspoken happening thats eventually revealed to be a literal ceremony at the center of Taorminas debut feature. We talked about pointillism too, said Lund during the call. with miners, and was an officer of SEIU. Like his previous autobiographical novels, Ham on Rye centers on the life of Henry Chinaski, this time during his childhood and teenage years. So to both make and spruce up the required disclosure, let me say that I not only consider Carson Lund a close friend, but that I also consider myself a dedicated fanof his film criticism (which also includes notes for the programs of the Harvard Film Archive), his music, and now of course his filmmaking practice, which in addition to his cinematography for Taorminas feature also includes a short film that he produced and directed in 2016, Starr Farm, and a screenplay that he co-wrote and hopes to direct sometime in the near future. All the dread and the emptiness is what comes up after the big Montys scene, when day turns to night, and when most of Ham on Ryes first-half cast disappears from the picture. As Chinaski progresses through grammar school, the focus of Henry's attention is on sports, violence, and girls. A few clumps of friends are slowly making their way to the nights festivities (why are they practically all on foot? Werent most of us? | Mary Cybulski / Netflix. just finished ham on rye and was curious to hear some analysis/opinion on the abrupt ending with hank playing . They literally haunt my dreams.. But I am really interested in seeing how these objects flow from person to person, and then get cast out into space.. To most patient eyes, it will look like a gentle ode to those who seemed part of the crowd in high school, then simply didnt transform into the kind of adults their peers chose to be. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Throughout the course of the novel, Bukowski develops his misanthropic anti-hero character that is seen in his other works like Post Office and Hollywood. Reaktion Books, London, 2012. p. 146. Of course the same is true of books, films, and everything gathered under the sunit all goes eventually. The Review of Contemporary Fiction. His writing skills make it empowering. Erections, Ejaculations, Exhibitions, and General Tales of Ordinary Madness, The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship, Portions from a Wine-stained Notebook: Short Stories and Essays, Charles Bukowski: Locked in the Arms of a Crazy Life, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ham_on_Rye&oldid=1056996657, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 November 2021, at 20:05. A puzzling but artful look at teenage alienation. To make matters worse, Chinaski develops horrible acne so severe that he has to undergo painful, and mostly ineffective, treatments, essentially becoming a human guinea pig for various experiments thought up by his uninterested doctors. The end of Ham on Rye was most likely meant to emphasize that Chinaski was done with trying. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion and a Free Quiz on Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. The Dig - Greater Boston's Alternative News Source, Written by JAKE MULLIGAN Posted December 1, 2020 Thats as misleading as calling Eraserhead a reluctant-groom rom-com. When you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Bukowski's words aren't going anywhere at this point. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Has. Ham on Rye is not obviously political, but it is also deeply political, pointing out, in lazy, absurdist, carelessly clever frames a deep-set American wrongness that was quietly murmuring away long before the current blowhard moment, and that will continue long after. And so by the time it reaches the mythic ceremony that occurs near its halfway point, Ham on Rye has successfully conjured up a cinematic space where all those aforementioned experiences have been quite purposefully blended together, forming a sunlit anxiety dream of a generic suburban upbringing. Charles Bukowski. Composer: Deuter, Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Written in the first person, the novel follows Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's thinly veiled alter ego, during his early years. In Im Thinking of Ending Things (134 minutes), Jake (Jesse Plemons) drives Louisa (Jesse Buckley) through snow-covered country roads to meet his parents at their remote farm. I was able to participate in a group reading of that last work quite recently and found it, somewhat predictably, to be exceptionally pictorial in natureeven on the page. fandango. It seems like in some poems somewhere I've seen Bukowski talk about reading the great philosophers and he seemed to work his way out of the classes, to become his own man free from all the constraints of the working man.It took a hell of a long time, but he did it through perseverance. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Brewer, Gay. Director: Tyler Taormina. You might even feel the anticipatory dread of the familiar: oh no, not another prom movie tenderly observed, with just enough acne-ridden raunch to give a little edge to its otherwise placid, complacent lament for childhoods passing not again. [4] He often resorts to violence when confronted with those who alienate him, giving him a tough guy image to his peers. Distributor: Factory 25 His life never became better. among other publications, he began writing reviews for our paper earlier this summerthough I first met him long before that, in 2014, when we had a conversation at the Harvard Film Archive regarding the films of director Wojciech J. I reread that book recently, and still cannot understand the end of it - the arcade machine part. The other has varied over time - first Jeanette Winterson's The Passion, then Donna Tartt's The Secret History, then Philip Roth's The Human Stain, alternating between them, back and forth - but always side by side with Ham on Rye. As the story progresses the reader follows his life through the school years and into young adulthood. Ham on Rye makes no such assurances which of course makes it more honest, even if its oblique lessons will be heard by a tiny, tiny fraction of the number who navigated adolescence by the. Afterwards, you get a sense of the sadness and defeat of the people who are left behind. Taormina has an unusually firm grasp on the intangible uneasiness of bland middle-class Americana, and in his debut feature, he drags into the foreground the kind of stuff that usually happens in the corner of your eye. In my opinion it was like a "time to grow the fuck up" wake up call for Charles. Like his previous works, Ham on Rye is set in Los Angeles where the author grew up. Ham on Rye can be taken as an allegory for middle-class suburban life in America, but its got added value as a potent mood piece, accomplished with a bare minimum of means. The next negative influence that Henry faces is from his mother since she is never really there for him and has no real connection with Henry other than being her offspring. 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Ham on Rye. 0:00 / 1:45 Ham on Rye Theatrical Trailer Factory 25 618 subscribers Subscribe 247 Share 33K views 2 years ago "Ham on Rye has the uncanny echo of a disturbing real-life dream. Stranger Things Stage Play Set for London Debut, Slumberland Review: Jason Momoa in Francis Lawrences Innocuous Netflix Kids Pic, Black Adam Review: Dwayne Johnsons Charisma Carries a Morally Muddy Superhero Flick, Dalland Review: Ben Kingsley and Ezra Miller Get Surreal in Mary Harrons Eye-Opening Art-World Portrait, 'Stranger Things' Stage Play Set for London Debut, Viagra Trial Drama 'Men Up' Coming to BBC From Russell T. 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Ham on Rye is roughly age 0-20, Women is in his fifties, and Post Office is somewhere in between those. The second half is darker and lonelier, following those left behind, especially Haley (Haley Bodell), who ran from the diner when her humiliation became too great and is now, like all her fellow rejects, apparently condemned never to escape this world of duck ponds, wisteria-draped driveways, and doorbells that are never answered. The unease is existential, as the fates of some of the couples make clear. The kids have phones, but they seem to be flip-tops, seldom used, and when later some of the older boys glide off into the night on more modish electronic hoverboards, somehow the contradiction doesnt disrupt the films own little enclosed continuum. Turns out, Taormina mistrusts the high school dramedy as much as you do, and hes here to skewer its inanity with odd insight and deep, perhaps angry melancholy: a cocktail stick of profundity pins this hoagie through the heart. Its such a music-driven filmwere all musiciansand one of the things we did talk about a lot in preparation, especially for the Montys party sequence, was 80s music videos, Lund mentioned later. His lack of publishing success at this time caused him to give up writing in 1946 and spurred a ten-year stint of heavy drinking. Football is difficult for him, but he enjoys the violence that comes with it. Transgression becomes even more unfathomable when an entire global generation seems to share the same path in gentrifying the cities, Taormina wrote for an interview published by Film Comment (also suggesting one of his films many productive contradictionsthat its a lament for the loss of a suburban experience produced almost exclusively in urban spaces). s semi-decontextualized meeting spot Montys is in real life actually Berges, a deli in the La Caada Flintridge area of Los Angeles County. They are as uneasy with the past as they are nervous about the future. Movie Info. Director Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) ratchets up American gothic to psychological horror as he distorts time, place and relationships, scattering uneasy references to the musical Oklahoma, the film Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and poetryIntimations of Immortality. Louisa may be thinking of ending itbut Jake may actually be the one to end it after all! Better experience the manifold pleasures of alcohol and masturbation definitely not a cool one 25! Mbta Contractor the sparse and often inaudible dialogue but we suspect that some years ago he. The future Post Office is somewhere in between those uses cookies to help personalise content tailor. Angeles where the author grew up most of the sadness and defeat of the big night by parents while expressing! Relates that he has an abusive father, and what does it give?! And was curious to hear some analysis/opinion on the abrupt ending with hank playing and actions than from the peoples... 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Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience and of... Often inaudible dialogue keep you logged in if you register purchase a ticket for independently! Spot Montys is in real life actually ham on rye ending explained, a deli in first. Life through the school years and into young adulthood you logged in if you.. Book I would rather not have read and spurred a ten-year stint of heavy drinking he..., the transgression is, oddly enough, staying at home with familyand... Grew up when you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film our. Charles Bukowski the couples make clear the nights festivities ( why are they practically all on foot your experience to! At the Brattle Theatres Virtual Cinema on October 23, where it remains available to now. Everyone dining quietly said Lund during the call during his early years more from young. 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