Ivan Kander
You have to hand it to Taylor Thompson’s Foulmouth—never has a short film been more true to its title. From the jump, we are introduced to Lee, a profane oddball who has a bone to pick with the world.
Foulmouth is emblematic of indie-punk rock filmmaking: a dirty, grimy, LA-centric nostalgia trip that, despite its rough exterior, ends in a place that is unexpectedly sweet. Lee may be an angry motherf-cker, but the film, ultimately, imbues him with a sense of empathy. Over the run-time, you learn to care about him…a strange, sad weirdo who evolves from a broad comedy sketch to something more. It’s carried by a terrific central performance. Brian DeMarco strikes the right tonal balance between heightened caricature and sad curmudgeon pining for human connection.
If you watch enough shorts, it’s easy to become disillusioned by how “samey” a lot of indie film ends up feeling: aspiring filmmakers either playing it stylistically safe or clearly emulating an already established aesthetic. Foulmouth, in contrast, feels unmistakably “authored”: it’s not a perfect film, but it is a distinct one, and in a landscape that often is so devoid of personality, I think it’s important to champion creators who are so brazenly marching by the beat of their own drummer.
“Once we saw how convincing he was to complete strangers we knew we were ready to shoot” – director Thompson on the rehearsal process.
Rough around the edges, yes, but weirdly compelling and memorable, director Thompson uses an oddball caricature as a conduit to explore the landscape of a changing LA and the strangers that walk its streets. This isn’t the Hollywood of glitzy showbusiness, but rather, it’s composed of dingy auto body shops and vintage retail stores. The 16mm cinematography feels like a perfect compliment to the setting, and overall, the film showcases a real sense of aesthetic verve. I can easily see looking back at Foulmouth years down the road as a formative entry into a very particular auteur’s oeuvre.
That being said, I won’t begrudge you if this film is just too weird for you. It’s rebellious and free-floating, less a focused narrative and more just a strange little journey. But, still, I’d argue it’s oddly compelling one, carried by a memorable central performance and a distinctive sense of craft that is indicative of a burgeoning creative voice.