Ok, as you
may have guessed, my new “thing” is documentaries and all things even vaguely
documentary. Not surprising is it really, considering my semi-obsession with “based
on true life”. This is, to the best of my understanding, not quite a
documentary. The characters in them play “different versions of themselves”. So
basically we’re talking real characters in scripted situations, and that must
have been quite a feat to accomplish but anyhow. This is, apparently, the last
film in the “Texas trilogy” by director Roberto Minervini. All I’m saying to
you is, I really need to find the other two films…
Filmed in a
documentary style with quite minimal dialogue, much less anything in the way of
guidance and explanation from the director, Stop the Pounding Heart paints a
portrait of life in rural Huston, Texas. We see life from the point of view of
two very different families. The Carlsons are goat farmers. They are deeply
religious and all of the children are home-schooled. Sarah – or Sar – one of
the older sisters is a dutiful daughter who takes care of her siblings and
obeys her parents but burning deep in her is a rebellious side. This rebellious
side that gets next to no “outings”, as it were but it definitely manifests
itself. And one of the occasions this happens the clearest is after an
encounter with her less puritan neighbour Colby Trichelle. The Trichelles are
as religious as the average southern Texan, don’t get me wrong, but they are
worlds apart from the Carlsons. Shooting, bull-riding and generally having a
good time is what the boisterous Trichelle boys are all about. Now, the Carlson
family is against “dating” as a general principal. But the fact that Sarah has been raised as a good Christian who is expected to marry a good Christian
like her makes the union positively dangerous. Thus Sarah must do her best to
conceal her feelings from everyone, including Colby… This may prove easier said
than done…
Now this
one definitely is for those of you who can actually sit through a minimalist
film without fidgeting. Exhibits is a different kettle of fish all together, as
the inhabitants are more than willing to share their stories and explain (and
re-explain) every detail ad-nauseam. The Carlsons and the Trichelles, however,
just get on with life. But if you can actually sit through it, the rewards are
truly great. Our main protagonist is Sarah, Colby and his family are present
but their role is largely that of contrasting their behaviour with that of the
Carlsons. The one we really get to know is Sarah who is agonising, torn between
her faith and the questions that keep bubbling up in her mind, the feelings
that tug at her heart… It is a beautiful tale of faith in the modern world, the
barriers it comes up against and the ways it copes – or tries to cope… Because
the central question actually remains unanswered at the end of Stop the
Pounding heart… Or does it? Much like real life, there are no clear cut
answers. You are going to have to take the data and make what you will of it.
I thought
Stop the Pounding Heart was one of the most touching depictions of angst and
emotion that I have ever seen. Sarah is in her late teens at most (all we know
is that she is over 14) but she is already struggling with so many questions in
life… Faith… Love… Metaphysics… Well sure, metaphysics come into it even though
Sarah doesn’t quite call it that as, although we do not know what she is
exactly thinking, she is clearly and desperately trying to understand why her
faith is telling her to do this or that and why, if this is indeed the “right”
thing to do, it makes her so unhappy… Her sisters for the most part do not
understand. They have vague plans of moving far away from home one day (not
least, one supposes, because they do not even get to go to school so most of
their lives is actually spent in the same house) but they all “hope to get
married” but – strangely perhaps, but perhaps not so strangely – aren’t
necessarily talking about “finding true love”. Thus we can well imagine Sarah
is also struggling with love and its effects on her – as it is not really
encouraged in her rather traditional family. That’s one heck of a lot of
questions. Questions that some of the greatest minds have failed to answer…
Stop the
pounding heart can be hard work. I am not going to lie. But once you get used
to the rather non-verbal style (and the southern Texan accent by the way) the
rewards are truly great. I say go get
it. The film actually got an applause at the end at the showing I attented.
Considering the room was half empty and there was no q & as (and thus no
one to hear the applause except ourselves) this is saying something methinks…
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