Final
dir. Campbell Scott
InDigEnt

Final is the first of a series of 10 films to be released by InDigEnt, a small-time outfit that has given each of 10 directors $100,000 and a free rein to make the movie of their choice. Final is directed by Campbell Scott; other films include Chelsea Walls by Ethan Hawke and Tape by Richard Linklater.

The main impetus behind InDigEnt's project is to focus on the creative potential of digital video. The format frees directors from the need to build complex sets to accommodate large equipment — Final, for example, was shot with an off-the-shelf, hand-held Canon model — which allows them to achieve imaginative angles with ease. And while the videos must be converted into film format for wide release (most theaters are not equipped for video projection), the quality of the digital image is startling, though often tending toward a washed out, less-than-vibrant tone.

Conveniently, that one drawback of digital video, its tone, actually enhances the raw power of Final. The story revolves around Bill Scott (Dennis Leary), a mental-ward patient who awakes from a hypothermia-induced coma convinced that he is 400 years in the future and that the government is planning to kill him in order to harvest vital nerve tissues from his spinal cord. Assigned to him is Dr. Anne Johnson (Hope Davis), an icy psychiatrist nonetheless drawn to Billy's off-kilter magnetism (predictably, he's not as crazy as he first appears).

That Davis turns in a stellar performance is no surprise; she consistently proves adept at taking on introverted, vague characters and drawing out of them a subtle yet vibrant life. The real pleasure of Final, though, is Leary. Not known as a serious actor, he nevertheless takes on a serious role with a skillful elan, letting his comic side show just enough to give Billy an edge without detracting from his overall tragic situation. And the two actors, who spend much of their time interacting within a spartan, institutional room, have spark between them that lights up even the drier parts of the dialogue.

Final is Scott's second directorial effort (after 1996's Big Night), and his choice of material is impressive in the challenges it presents. Based on a play by Earl Hindman (who also plays a doctor in the film), the original screenplay called for special effects and narrative diversions that, if carried out, would have exceeded a budget 50 times as large as Final's. And yet, by artfully paring down the script and making excellent use of the digital video format, Scott succeeds where many big-budget directors may have failed.

Unfortunately, much of Final's dramatic weight comes in the latter scenes, which are premised on a plot twist that would be unfair to reveal in a review. Suffice it to say that as the relationship between Bill and Dr. Johnson becomes deeper, it also takes on a moral urgency that leads them toward a final intimacy both heartbreaking and warmly human.

— Clay Risen (clay@flakmag.com)