The Ten

The Cinema of the Absurd, October 6, 2007

By 

Daniel D. Jones –

  

There are many mediocre films in the world. And then there are brilliant ones. Often the brilliant films are ones of which it is said “Either you’ll love it or you’ll hate it.” This is said frequently of trademark filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, and Darren Aronofsky.

I hesitate to include David Wain in the class with the above, because he certainly doesn’t subscribe himself to a league of serious artists. But his works (Stella, Wet Hot American Summer, The State, and The Ten) do have a trademark to them, a quite brilliant one. I’ve tried to give serious thought to what it is that makes his films work so well, and finally settled that it is a brilliant mix of the dedicated parody and the absurd non sequitur.

In his work we often see him take a cinematic staple and put it to the situational test. In “The Ten” we are given multiple treatments of a traditional story with a situational twist: a young man’s values are put to the test when he becomes a Hollywood superstar; two sons wonder about their true father; lovers fall apart as one of them begins to fall for another. In the hands of filmmakers over time these stories have been given a genre treatment that has led to certain expectations. We expect the sweeping musical score, the intense close up, the slow motion, the emotional dialogue. In the hands of Wain the sequence is the same, but the situational elements are turned on their head. Specific story elements become non sequiturs, chosen under the criteria that they have as little to do with the cohesive theme as possible: the young man’s fame comes from him being stuck in a hole in the ground; the sons are told their father is actually Arnold Schwarzeneggar, and instead of reuniting them they are introduced to a Schwarzeneggar impersonator; the lovers turn out to be two quite masculine prison inmates who end up arguing as if they were on a soap opera.

This abuse of genre is definitely Wain’s strong point. It would be difficult, after becoming used to his style to trust him with something more sincerely emotional. In fact, the very vignette which works least in “The Ten” is the one where he is the least satirical and the most original – “The Lying Rhino.” Though it is a brilliant animation, and absurd, it is the only one with a complete absence of any reference to make it relatable. However, within his trademark element Wain takes the most established cinematic traditions and lovingly butchers them to a point where an audience member can no longer even watch “Law and Order” or “Oz” without scoffing at sincerity of the characters.

Going to a place beyond the slapstick parody, Wain actually adopts the storytelling techniques of the genre, wedding it to a completely absurd reality taken as far as possible. There is no winking. There is no nudging. It is truly sincere. This results in humorous irony in its purest form, taking Wain’s work to a place beyond comedy – closer to Dadaism – and yet more accessible than high art – given rapid fire jokes and an approachable premise.

That said, if you are unfamiliar with David Wain, you definitely have to come to The Ten with a complete absence of expectations. Appreciation comes only with acceptance.

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