Speaking Parts

Speaking Parts begins, as do all of Egoyan's films, in the middle of a complex web of relationships, and part of the joy of the movie is to figure out what those relationships are as they are revealed to us in a very natural way. Lance is a hotel housekeeper/gigolo/aspiring actor and Lisa is another housekeeper who loves him. Since this love is unrequited, Lisa obsessively rents videos in which he appears, though he does not have a speaking part in any of them; at one point Lisa even defends this to another character when she asserts that "words aren't all that important". Clara is the screenwriter for a film that is being cast, and in her staying at the hotel, Lance sees seducing her as his way of taking advantage of a big break. Clara, in the meantime, is often seen viewing a memorial film of her brother at a mausoleum. As the film progresses, we learn that Clara's screenplay is autobiographical, though Clara is losing control of the project at the same time she's mesmerized by Lance. Characters are often seen detached from others -- viewing rather than participating in life and watching people rather than interacting with them. Also, many of the characters look alike in an androgynous way, becoming more interchangeable and confusing the relationships we see. Egoyan is one of my favorite directors. Whenever I start a film of his that I haven't seen before, I settle in for a good long while. I watch it and then watch it with the director's commentary and then re-watch it. They are that rich and rewarding, and Speaking Parts is no exception. Extras include an excellent and rewarding director's commentary as well as stills and some interviews with Egoyan.

This movie is a prime example of 80's egosim and the human need to see the way others view you. Lisa played by Khanjian,(I think she is also Atom's wife) is a hotel maid that craves the attention of Lance a co-worker. The bulk of the movie is centered on Lance and Lisa and how they their need for attention ultimately throws them into a web of intrigue, delusions, sexual desire and ultimatley death. This is a movie that is best seen more than once, due to it's hidden meaning and dialogue. If possible I would highly recommend getting the DVD version, because there is commentary from Atom that is very helpful. F.Y.I. Micheal McManus also appears in the sci-fi show "Lexx," as the dead bun-headed assassin Kai and he also has a cameo in "Dog Park," as the waiter.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the release of this film, since it got less than it's deserved attention. The moodiness and underlying tension focus on Lance, a part-time actor/houskeeper/ prostitute trying desperately to break into the forefront of dramatic performances, but all of his efforts seem to be thwarted at every turn. His employer wants to keep him as her own personal sexual property to be doled out upon demand to customers, and Lisa, another employee at the hotel where he works has raised the level of obsessiveness to new heights, dragging other people into her obsession. Claire, a screenwriter Lance seduces into helping him to be cast in a locally produced film, has her own obsessions, and incorporates Lance into compromising his own needs with disatrous results. The performances were outstanding, especially from McManus, who portrays the effete Lance with a mixture of selfishness and torment. Lisa's descent into madness is underplayed just right, no over-the-top histrionics. The only flaw I found was the unbelievably bad wig they put on McManus for the comparison to Claire's brother's image. It must have been dreadful to acheive the desired results with the stringy locks hovering around just enough to distract his performance. But then, bad wigs pretty much come with the territory for McManus, who is also one of the lead actors on the sci-fi epic, "Lexx", currently on television, but his performances are just as spellbinding.. The Dvd comes with lovely extra goodies, especially the narration by Egoyan, which explains motivations behind each and every scene. Also contained were deleted scenes, which explained a few things not evident on first viewing. Highly recommened, but ignore the bad costumes and hairdos...

An excellent film by Atom Egoyan. The moody atmosphere enhances the plot and the production is excellent. McManus fans who know him through Tales from a Parallel Universe, or Lexx as it is called in the UK, will love him in this. McManus' portrayal as the ambitious, but emotionally ambivilant Lance is fantastic as is Arnesee Khanjan's performance as the frustrated Lisa. UK buyers will be pleased to know that this tape will play well on a video with duel PAL and NTSC format, with a decent PAL t.v. and is a must. Well worth the wait and not as pornographic as some reviews make out, but very erotic in parts. Not rated but not suitable for veiwers under eighteen.

This is one of my favorite movies I've ever seen and I think it's the Atom Egoyan's best. I liked it so much because the rhythm; at first the movie goes in a semi-slow rhythm with interesting points of view about the today's "electronic relationships". But at the end (I'll don't tell you....better enjoy it), the rhythm changes suddenly to a giddy speed. It's amazing.