Sorry To Bother You

"I didn't want to make a good movie, I wanted to make an important movie." That's an early line from the DVD extra Beautiful Clutter where Riley describes the film as "An absurdist dark comedy with magical realism and science fiction." There's a concept from Philip K Dick's works which, variously and often simultaneously, manage to encompass all those genres too. It's called 'kipple' the detritus of civilisation, but that's not just litter on the ground, it's people, places, processes. To quote from Ubik* -

“The door refused to open. It said, “Five cents, please.”

He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. “I’ll pay you tomorrow,” he told the door. Again he tried the knob. Again it remained locked tight. “What I pay you,” he informed it, “is in the nature of a gratuity; I don’t have to pay you.”

“I think otherwise,” the door said.

That banality, absurdity, avarice, systemic exploitation (and I'll include blaxploitation) is part and parcel of the film. In Beautiful Clutter, Riley explores the processes of creation and film-making. Having touch-tone telephone beeps to underline some of his dialogue might feel heavy-handed but it's part of an aesthetic. He talks about "inbetween feelings," and the film is full of them. Chaos through collage. "How do I get across someone's vibe?" He references novelists, Paul Schrader's Mishima, and more. The best film-makers have a love of film, but that awareness and more can also be geographic. Riley's associations with Oakland, the city across from San Francisco are strong.

Even stronger is his artistic vision. Beautiful Clutter amounts to a declaration of artistic intent, praise for his cast. His notes about their performances, his connections to folk like Donald Glover, the origin of his screenplay and the process of film-making and the influence of Sundance and its writers programme are all discussed. Forest Whitaker and Rosario Dawson's voices are among those featured, and their presence constitutes a spoiler of sorts. As such it's an extra that's not appetiser but digestif. The film can use it.

Other extras include the usual bundle of subtitles, a photo gallery that complements the menu's stark purple and cast photos. There's some behind the scenes shots of Riley directing, but nothing too special. What is a treat is the director's commentary. These are often tedious, but Riley's sufficiently compelling as a performer that I might have watched the film as often with his commentary as without. The process of casting and more includes references to works like Thou Wast Mild And Lovely and past those deep cuts genuinely funny bits. "That's Tessa Thompson. That's Lakeith Stanfield. That's Tessa Thompson. See how that works? I'll not say who that is."

There's discussion of production design, of inspiration from Bob Marley, of borrowing friends' houses and more. The processes of filmmaking are rarely discussed with such chaotic honesty, even more of that beautiful clutter. While a minimal set of extras, they're footnotes to something that's literary, dense in detail, delightful. Riley's love of filmmaking, for his cast and crew is palpable. You've also got to admire the honesty over the "40 on two" scene where he says "a lot of people thought we should cut [this]."

* Dick, Philip K. 2000. Ubik. S.F. Masterworks. London, England: Gollancz.