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FACTOTUM Send This Review to a Friend
It’s down and out, scrounging to get by, heavy drinking and miserable relationship time in “Factotum,” based on Charles Bukowski’s 1975 novel. The wallowing characters are Matt Dillon as Hank Chinaski, Bukowski’s stand-in, and Lili Taylor as Jan, the needy woman who has an on again-off again relationship with him that doesn’t do much for either of them. The film, directed by Bent Hamer, who wrote the screenplay with Jim Stark, is as well done as it is depressing, and it provides a field day of acting opportunity for the excellent leads.
There is also humor in the way in which Hank tries to get by while striving unsuccessfully as a writer. He can’t hold a job, and doesn’t seem to care whether he does or not. He’s determined to write the truth about life, and the prose that is narrated can be colorful even though deliberately coated with icy, cynical observations.
Jan’s sexual freedom is something Hank has trouble dealing with, but they need each other in their warped way, and there is pathos in the quiet desperation that defines their lives. Marisa Tomei gets into the Bukowski spirit with her role as Laura, one of the women who parade through the Hank’s life and find him impossible.
“Factotum” is not a pleasant movie, but the successful portrayal of the pivotal characters and the nihilistic atmosphere from which writing that developed a cult emerged makes the film a worthwhile journey of exploration for those who care. An IFC Films release.
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