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but rather for people to accept the boy. A moment where Edgar moves through his wife’s closet is lovely, as is a surprising scene between him and Duncan as the youth goes out; this moment is one of several that sets up the film’s moving conclusion between father and son.
The film unfortunately fails in its portrayal of Perry. We understand that he hangs out with Duncan as a way of making himself feel superior, but the transition that the character undergoes to actually liking Duncan makes very little sense. The movie does not earn its night in the barn between the boys, nor does it earn the other change that Perry exhibits once it is done. Mudge Boy had the bad luck of Brokeback Mountain’s release soon after its arrival, as Perry’s “I ain’t no queer” is diluted of much of the power that it might have otherwise had, but the film still has not made him a full being.
The film’s technical elements are generally sound; the movie was shot cheaply and quickly, but does not suffer much for it. Marcelo Zarvos’ distilled score serves as a nice accompaniment to the film’s action, and the various production design components convince us of a dull, crude backwoods life. The film was shot in High Definition, which ironically enough looks awful.
What we are left with at film’s end is a portrayal both of a young boy’s sense of uncertainty and of a father’s love for his son. Duncan thanks Perry early on for being nice to him, but when Duncan sucks on Chicken in the closing moments neither one of them are calmed.
Special Features:
The disc’s lone special feature of interest is a feature commentary by Burke, who does a good job of patting himself on the back for 94 minutes. Scene after scene will be accompanied by Burke’s relating of how much he loves this particular shot, character or line of dialogue; bully for him, but perhaps we could have done without it. Burke is quick to give praise to others and will occasionally supply a behind-the-scenes anecdote (whether that is an actual chicken’s head being sucked, for example), but little is offered in terms of explicating the thematic elements which drive the film. We exit the commentary with a few interesting stories but not much to make us appreciate a movie which, honestly, is not that great to begin with.
The DVD also includes a listing of trailers for other Strand titles, including Mysterious Skin and Loggerheads, both of which treat on similar subject matter but annihilate Mudge Boy in terms of their subtlety and depth.
Movie Grade: C+
DVD Features Grade: C
Overall Grade: C+
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