Watching Aaron Schneider’s debut film “Get Low” is like breathing in the universe of Mark Twain. The setting is Tennessee in the ‘30s (though its story includes an event from 40 years prior), and it is a character piece above all.
It takes joy in the conversations, the quirks and the dynamics of each of its characters, who are people that look like they actually could have lived at that time. Their authenticity and convictions draw the audience into the story as if they were sitting in front of a cozy fireplace.
The focus is on the old hermit Felix Bush. He is played by Robert Duvall, an actor who can pull off almost any role, making you believe in him all the way. And because the hermit is played by him, we are essentially convinced right off the bat that he must be a good guy despite the sketchy premise in the prologue of a burning house and an unidentified man escaping.
Felix lives out in the woods in his log cabin, which looks like the kind of place that is surely haunted yet still beautiful in its rustic form. He has been in self-imposed exile for the past 40 years. Why he has isolated himself is the movie’s big secret and the driving force that makes us wonder how such an interesting man (the kind of man that you would imagine Walt Whitman would be like) has become the subject of all the town’s legends.
When one of Felix’s acquaintances dies he gets even deeper into his existential vortex and decides to do a most unusual thing: He will throw his own funeral party while he is still alive. He goes to the church and, to no one’s surprise, they do not accept the proposition. The town’s funeral parlor owner, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray), however, is out to make a buck. Make no mistake, he’s not a bad man, but he knows a business opportunity when he sees one. So Quinn and his assistant, the young, naive and greatly amiable Buddy (Lucas Black), set out to organize the biggest party in four counties for old man Bush. Bush tells the men that he wants his own funeral now so he can actually listen to the stories people will tell about him. But in fact the real reason is that he, well, wants to ask for forgiveness.
Bush’s old sweetheart Mattie (Sissy Spacek) is back in town after the death of her husband. The two are now friends again after so many years, but Mattie is demanding to know why Felix closed himself off suddenly 40 years ago. His big secret is an event that somehow involved Mattie and it is her forgiveness that he must seek. The film culminates and reaches its emotional peak at the party, which mind you looks like a joyous barbecue celebration, and finally Bush finds himself on top of the podium making a public confession about the past. We know, and everybody else at the party knows, that this confession is made for Mattie’s benefit. Duvall brings such virtuosity to this difficult monologue that he brings out an unexpected speck of heartfelt emotion in the viewer. Such is the mastery of this actor that after a while we seem to think that it is not Duvall that we are watching but indeed Felix Bush, if he ever existed.
There are two other actors that must be saluted in this film. Spacek, whose soft yet strong face looks like it belongs in an O. Henry story, presents such radiance to the screen that she is a joy to watch. Her chemistry with Duvall is of the rare sort: simple and organic. It is more than obvious that these two enjoy each other’s company on a personal level, and this is felt on the screen. And then there is the inimitable Bill Murray. Murray is a fine comedian, but beyond that he is a great actor whose performances are his unique recreations of various aspects of the human condition. Here we watch another performance that is pure Murray, a performance that supports the film’s ambitions.
Schneider’s “Get Low” is not without flaws, but this film is truly one of the most enjoyable films that you will watch this year. It has a good story, engaged actors, directing that respects the actors, a great sense of humor and it does not pretend to be something more than it is — a simple film with depth.