Living in Oblivion
Encyclopedia
Living in Oblivion is a darkly comic, low-budget independent film
depicting the making of a low-budget independent film, written and directed by Tom DiCillo
and starring Steve Buscemi
, Catherine Keener
, Dermot Mulroney
, Danielle von Zerneck
and James LeGros
. The film won Tom DiCillo the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
. The film was acclaimed by critics, and currently has a score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes
.
, crew and substantially the same cast.
Part one: director Nick Reve is shooting a low-budget independent film in the middle of New York City
. The catering
crew are under-funded and apathetic, deciding not to replace a carton of milk
that has been on the craft service
table for a week. The scene being shot is a difficult one: a young woman, Ellen, reproaches her elderly mother (Rica Martens) for not intervening when the father beat Ellen as a child. However, on the set, just about everything that can go wrong does go wrong: shots are spoiled because of the microphone boom
being visible; the camera assistant fails to keep the shot in focus; Cora, the actress playing the mother, forgets her lines; and Nicole, the actress playing Ellen, becomes increasingly unfocused and careless.
A dispirited Nick calls for a rehearsal
without camera to refresh the actors. However, when Nicole berates herself for acting badly, Cora reassures her with a gesture that reminds Nicole of a similar gesture made by her own terminally ill mother. Nicole is so upset by the memory that she turns in an unexpectedly passionate performance, and Cora, startled by Nicole's sudden intensity, is equally good. Watching them, Nick gets enthusiastic all over again. Unfortunately, it was not captured on film; cinematographer
and camera operator
Wolf, who has been diluting the sub-standard coffee
with the spoiled milk, was vomiting in the toilet
throughout.
Nick ruefully calls for another take. This time, a sudden and insistent beeping sound distracts the actors. Nobody can tell where it's coming from and Nick flies into a rage, berating everyone on the crew and cast for their inadequacies. He then wakes up in his own bed; the beeping sound was his own alarm clock. He has dreamed the entire segment. It is 4.30am, and he is due on set.
Part two: early the same morning, the film's lead actor Chad Palomino is getting dressed in Nicole's hotel room. They have slept together, and Chad suggests that they might get together again later; Nicole politely declines.
Chad and Nicole arrive on the set separately. Nicole's character Ellen and Chad's character Damian have been in love for years but have never admitted it until the scene being shot on this day.
Shooting the scene is made practically impossible by Chad's irregular acting. He keeps changing his mind about where to stand, and continually moves to places where he is either invisible or badly lit by scenic light. Nicole becomes increasingly frustrated by Chad's egomania, and when he starts to stroke her head she briefly loses her cool, then apologizes. An irritated Chad demands a private talk with Nick. He tells Nick that he has slept with Nicole, and makes out that it was she, not he, who had wanted to continue the relationship. Desperate to keep Chad happy, Nick agrees that Nicole is not very good. Nicole overhears this conversation on the sound mixer
's headphones
. Pretending to be contrite, she asks Nick if they can improvise a little, but when they do so she announces to everyone that although she slept with Chad, she is not at all interested in him. Chad loses his temper and quits the movie. Relieved that he will no longer have to please Chad, Nick calls him a "Hostess Twinkie motherfucker" and a fight breaks out. Nick beats Chad senseless and fires him. He apologises to Nicole and confesses that he loves her. They kiss - then Nicole abruptly wakes up, still in her bed, having dreamed the whole thing.
Part three: later the same day, the crew is setting up for a dream sequence
in which Nicole, as Ellen, stands still while a dwarf
walks around her holding an apple
. Nick claims to have learned a lesson from his own dream: that sometimes, "you just got to roll with things." Nicole admits that she had a dream with Nick in it, but doesn't tell him what happened. Nick manages to keep up his positive attitude despite the various mishaps that occur; first the smoke machine fails to work, then it catches fire, then his senile mother Cora arrives on the set. However, the ill-tempered dwarf actor Tito (Peter Dinklage
) complains that the dream sequence is a cliché ("I don't even have dreams with dwarves in them!") and walks off the set in disgust. Nick's confidence collapses and he announces that the movie is over.
At that moment his mother intervenes, grabbing the apple, moving to Tito's mark and announcing that she is "ready". The crew scrambles to shoot the scene; Nick's mother's manic performance injects fresh energy and conviction into it. Nick is delighted and decides to keep the new dream sequence, and there is a tense moment while the sound mixer records thirty seconds of room tone. The entire cast and crew manages to remain silent, and they go on to shooting the next sequence.
, and his long struggle to make his next intended film, Box of Moonlight. Living in Oblivion was rejected by all producers but the actors and friends of the director felt so strongly about the project that they financed it. Two of the producers, Michael Griffiths and Hilary Gilford, were given parts in the movie to thank them for providing finance. Griffiths plays Speedo, the sound mixer; Gilford plays the unnamed Script girl.
Living in Oblivion is divided into three parts. The first part was shot in five days and after DiCillo realized that it was too short to be a feature and too long to be a short he expanded it into a full feature film with parts two and three.
The film's title was taken from the hit 80's song by synthpop artists Anything Box
.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
depicting the making of a low-budget independent film, written and directed by Tom DiCillo
Tom DiCillo
Thomas A. "Tom" DiCillo is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.-Early life:He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England...
and starring Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
, Catherine Keener
Catherine Keener
Catherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich and Capote...
, Dermot Mulroney
Dermot Mulroney
-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
, Danielle von Zerneck
Danielle von Zerneck
Danielle von Zerneck in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, is an American film and television actress. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Donna, Ritchie Valens girlfriend in La Bamba...
and James LeGros
James LeGros
James LeGros is an American film and television actor. He is known as a star of independent films with a diversified body of work in the early to mid 1990s.-Personal life:...
. The film won Tom DiCillo the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
. The film was acclaimed by critics, and currently has a score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
.
Plot summary
Living In Oblivion is divided into three parts, all of which concern the making of a low-budget movie featuring the same directorFilm director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, crew and substantially the same cast.
Part one: director Nick Reve is shooting a low-budget independent film in the middle of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
crew are under-funded and apathetic, deciding not to replace a carton of milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
that has been on the craft service
Craft service
In film, television or video production, craft service or crafty refers to the department which provides food service and beverages to the other departments or crafts. In addition to policing the set they set down layout boards and protect the set area, as well as provide buffet style snacks and...
table for a week. The scene being shot is a difficult one: a young woman, Ellen, reproaches her elderly mother (Rica Martens) for not intervening when the father beat Ellen as a child. However, on the set, just about everything that can go wrong does go wrong: shots are spoiled because of the microphone boom
Microphone stand
A microphone stand is a free-standing mount for a microphone. It allows the microphone to be positioned in the studio, on stage or on location without requiring a person to hold it....
being visible; the camera assistant fails to keep the shot in focus; Cora, the actress playing the mother, forgets her lines; and Nicole, the actress playing Ellen, becomes increasingly unfocused and careless.
A dispirited Nick calls for a rehearsal
Rehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
without camera to refresh the actors. However, when Nicole berates herself for acting badly, Cora reassures her with a gesture that reminds Nicole of a similar gesture made by her own terminally ill mother. Nicole is so upset by the memory that she turns in an unexpectedly passionate performance, and Cora, startled by Nicole's sudden intensity, is equally good. Watching them, Nick gets enthusiastic all over again. Unfortunately, it was not captured on film; cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
and camera operator
Camera operator
A camera operator or cameraman is a professional operator of a film or video camera. In filmmaking, the leading cameraman is usually called a cinematographer, while a cameraman in a video production may be known as a television camera operator, video camera operator, or videographer, depending on...
Wolf, who has been diluting the sub-standard coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
with the spoiled milk, was vomiting in the toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
throughout.
Nick ruefully calls for another take. This time, a sudden and insistent beeping sound distracts the actors. Nobody can tell where it's coming from and Nick flies into a rage, berating everyone on the crew and cast for their inadequacies. He then wakes up in his own bed; the beeping sound was his own alarm clock. He has dreamed the entire segment. It is 4.30am, and he is due on set.
Part two: early the same morning, the film's lead actor Chad Palomino is getting dressed in Nicole's hotel room. They have slept together, and Chad suggests that they might get together again later; Nicole politely declines.
Chad and Nicole arrive on the set separately. Nicole's character Ellen and Chad's character Damian have been in love for years but have never admitted it until the scene being shot on this day.
Shooting the scene is made practically impossible by Chad's irregular acting. He keeps changing his mind about where to stand, and continually moves to places where he is either invisible or badly lit by scenic light. Nicole becomes increasingly frustrated by Chad's egomania, and when he starts to stroke her head she briefly loses her cool, then apologizes. An irritated Chad demands a private talk with Nick. He tells Nick that he has slept with Nicole, and makes out that it was she, not he, who had wanted to continue the relationship. Desperate to keep Chad happy, Nick agrees that Nicole is not very good. Nicole overhears this conversation on the sound mixer
Production sound mixer
A production sound mixer, location sound recordist, location sound engineer or simply sound mixer is the member of a film crew or television crew responsible for recording all sound recording on set during the filmmaking or television production using professional audio equipment, for later...
's headphones
Headphones
Headphones are a pair of small loudspeakers, or less commonly a single speaker, held close to a user's ears and connected to a signal source such as an audio amplifier, radio, CD player or portable Media Player. They are also known as stereophones, headsets or, colloquially, cans. The in-ear...
. Pretending to be contrite, she asks Nick if they can improvise a little, but when they do so she announces to everyone that although she slept with Chad, she is not at all interested in him. Chad loses his temper and quits the movie. Relieved that he will no longer have to please Chad, Nick calls him a "Hostess Twinkie motherfucker" and a fight breaks out. Nick beats Chad senseless and fires him. He apologises to Nicole and confesses that he loves her. They kiss - then Nicole abruptly wakes up, still in her bed, having dreamed the whole thing.
Part three: later the same day, the crew is setting up for a dream sequence
Dream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
in which Nicole, as Ellen, stands still while a dwarf
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
walks around her holding an apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
. Nick claims to have learned a lesson from his own dream: that sometimes, "you just got to roll with things." Nicole admits that she had a dream with Nick in it, but doesn't tell him what happened. Nick manages to keep up his positive attitude despite the various mishaps that occur; first the smoke machine fails to work, then it catches fire, then his senile mother Cora arrives on the set. However, the ill-tempered dwarf actor Tito (Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage
Peter Dinklage is an American film, television and theater actor. Since his breakout role in the 2003 film The Station Agent, he has acted in Elf, Underdog, Find Me Guilty, the 2007 film Death at a Funeral and its 2010 remake, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian...
) complains that the dream sequence is a cliché ("I don't even have dreams with dwarves in them!") and walks off the set in disgust. Nick's confidence collapses and he announces that the movie is over.
At that moment his mother intervenes, grabbing the apple, moving to Tito's mark and announcing that she is "ready". The crew scrambles to shoot the scene; Nick's mother's manic performance injects fresh energy and conviction into it. Nick is delighted and decides to keep the new dream sequence, and there is a tense moment while the sound mixer records thirty seconds of room tone. The entire cast and crew manages to remain silent, and they go on to shooting the next sequence.
Cast
- Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
as Nick Reve, an intense and hopeful independent film director. Nick is sensitive and thoughtful with actors and he tries to respect the status and dignity of everyone on the set, but sometimes the frustration just gets too much. Nick's surname 'Reve' is derived from and pronounced like the FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word rêve, meaning 'dream'.
- Catherine KeenerCatherine KeenerCatherine Ann Keener is an American actress. She has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Being John Malkovich and Capote...
as Nicole, an actress playing the female lead in Nick's film. Nicole is secretly in love with Nick. Although Nick believes she is a fine actress Nicole herself is fatalistic, believing that she will one day give up acting and seek work as a waitress or short order cook.
- Dermot MulroneyDermot Mulroney-Early life:Mulroney was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the son of Ellen, a housewife and amateur actress originally from Manchester, Iowa, and Michael Mulroney, a law professor at Villanova University School of Law, originally from Elkader, Iowa. He has a sister, Moira, and three brothers, Conor,...
as Wolf, a talented but pretentious and prima donna-ish cinematographer and camera operator. Wolf is in a relationship with the film's First Assistant Director, Wanda (Danielle von ZerneckDanielle von ZerneckDanielle von Zerneck in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, is an American film and television actress. She is best remembered for her portrayal of Donna, Ritchie Valens girlfriend in La Bamba...
), although she breaks up with him at the beginning of Part three. He is supposedly a good cinematographer but is opinionated, sulky and obstinate. His surname is Überman, as shown on the clapperboardClapperboardA clapperboard is a device used in filmmaking and video production to assist in the synchronizing of picture and sound, and to designate and mark particular scenes and takes recorded during a production...
.
- James LeGrosJames LeGrosJames LeGros is an American film and television actor. He is known as a star of independent films with a diversified body of work in the early to mid 1990s.-Personal life:...
as Chad Palomino, the male lead in Nick's film, a major Hollywood star appearing in a low-budget movie to gain critical kudosPraisePraise is the act of making positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately. Praise is typically, but not exclusively, earned relative to achievement and accomplishment...
. Chad is a selfish egomaniac; all of his suggestions about changing the blockingBlocking (stage)Blocking is a theatre term which refers to the precise movement and positioning of actors on a stage in order to facilitate the performance of a play, ballet, film or opera. The term derives from the practice of 19th century theatre directors such as Sir W. S...
are in fact covert attempts to place himself in the foreground of the frame, instead of in the background. He turns out to be also a liar, admitting to Nick that he considers him a "loser" and that he only accepted the role "because I thought you were tight with Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
!" This character is sometimes assumed to be based on Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, but this isn't the case according to the director on the DVD commentary track.
Background
DiCillo got inspiration for the film from the frustrations he experienced when making the film Johnny SuedeJohnny Suede
Johnny Suede is the 1991 film directorial debut of writer-director Tom DiCillo. It starred Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener with early appearances from Samuel L. Jackson and Nick Cave.-Plot summary:...
, and his long struggle to make his next intended film, Box of Moonlight. Living in Oblivion was rejected by all producers but the actors and friends of the director felt so strongly about the project that they financed it. Two of the producers, Michael Griffiths and Hilary Gilford, were given parts in the movie to thank them for providing finance. Griffiths plays Speedo, the sound mixer; Gilford plays the unnamed Script girl.
Living in Oblivion is divided into three parts. The first part was shot in five days and after DiCillo realized that it was too short to be a feature and too long to be a short he expanded it into a full feature film with parts two and three.
The film's title was taken from the hit 80's song by synthpop artists Anything Box
Anything Box
Anything Box is an electronic/synthpop musical group originally from Paterson, New Jersey and now based in Orange County, CA. They are best known for their 1989 Single "Living in Oblivion." The band is one of the primary bands which carried electronic music's transition from the late 1980s into the...
.
External links
- Living in Oblivion at Rotten Tomatoes
- Living in Oblivion at All Movie