Mala noche

Mala nochein a new copy. The film was also screened in Rotterdam in 1987, when it was new and Gus Van Sant still didn’t have a reputation. Yet it was already clear that this was not the work of just another American independent making his debut. For that the film was too original and too sultry, the characters and the feelings interpreted were too new. In the meantime, we cannot look back with the same eyes at this film. Now we know that the maker of this intriguing and occasionally uneasy film has also made masterpieces including Drugstore Cowboy and Elephant.
Mala noche was made with a very small budget at the time, so the sound in particular did not live up to Van Sant’s desires – in this new copy, the sound has been subjected to a thorough technical upgrading. The film was shot in black & white on 16mm and tells the diary-like autobiographical story of the writer Walt Curtis, who comes from Portland, Oregon (just like Van Sant himself and also the location for Elephant). Walt falls madly in love with Johnny, an illegal Mexican immigrant who doesn’t speak any English and is above all a minor.
The phenomenon of illegal immigration has now taken on a much more global form than 20 years ago, but the film is still more predictive than outdated. Also in his portrayal of a homosexual love affair, Van Sant was so far ahead of his time that it is still topical today. (GjZ)