Carter

• Directed By: Ryan Andrew Balas
• Written By: Ryan Andrew Balas with Richard Buonagurio, Deirdre Herlihy, Julia Porter Howe and Mark Robert Ryan
• Country: USA
• Released: 2009
• Running Time: 80 minutes
• Links: Official Site
• Drama, Reviews

In his director’s statement, Ryan Andrew Balas describes Carter as an experiment in narrative about the absurdity of one’s life. The result is a romantic drama that is very different to anything that you might have seen before. While this makes for an utterly fascinating experience, I was surprised at the number of times I found myself either struggling to make sense of what was happening or having to rewind and watch a scene again in order to get a grip on the events.

The film’s plot is both simple and intriguing. Jebediah Sminch (Mark Robert Ryan) is, in his own words, happier than he’s ever been. Life is good and his relationship with the titular Carter (Julia Porter Howe) is strong, solid and undeniably positive. There is, however, a fly in the ointment.

When he was 17, Sminch promised himself that if he wasn’t married by 24, he would commit suicide before he reached 25. As close as he is to Carter, they are not married and Sminch turns 25 in three days time. Although those around him attempt to convince him that his suicide vow was foolish and is best forgotten, he fully intends to carry out his promise.

There are several ways in which you might expect such a premise to be handled and Balas eschews them all, preferring instead to present us with a gently paced, slice of life drama that looks at the character of Sminch as Carter sees him. Balas then makes things difficult for himself by creating, in Sminch, a character whose behaviour is completely consistent with that of someone determined to execute a teenage suicide vow. It’s an approach that works well, but is also incredibly frustrating. Sminch is a very closed character and one not comfortable with discussing either his thoughts or his decisions. In many ways he is still the 17 year old who made a pact with himself and this, inevitably gives rise to a great deal of frustration on Carter’s part. As an audience, we experience every ounce of Carter’s frustration.

The film takes a very naturalistic approach throughout, almost obsessively so. We step into these characters’ lives at a certain point and Balas trusts us to understand what is happening from the conversations and context. For this to work, of course, you need to care about the characters enough to want to know what is unravelling and, on this point, the film is on slightly shaky ground.

It is certainly true that these are very well developed characters, and both of them are brought to very effectively life by the actors. However, because the film deliberately avoids the usual attention-grabbing hooks, there are times where I was watching, more than anything, on trust that we would start going somewhere soon.

This trust is rewarded and is helped greatly by the strength of the soundtrack. Music figures heavily throughout Carter and is adroitly used both to provide the pacing for the film and to hold your interest when the narrative itself feels slow. It also has to be said that there are some scenes, most notably the opening sequence, which bring together a gorgeous score and a sumptuous visual feel to effectively portray both the character and the mood without explicitly telling you anything.

Carter is an uncompromising film and the film’s refusal to compromise brings its own challenges, both for the the film-makers and the audience. That said, it’s also a very rewarding film and one that is worth staying with, which is not difficult because the film has plenty going for it, not least the genuine warmth the characters which makes them very easy to become involved with.

Ultimately, I think that Carter will divide people and the way that any individual reacts to a film will say as much about the viewer as it does about the film. Certainly, if you are a fan of character driven drama then this really is a film for you. Even if you’re not, the film is still worth seeing. If nothing else, it will demonstrate to you just how much you rely on the conventional grammar (and stereotypes) of cinema in order to understand the events.

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