Buffalo '66 (1998)

Buffalo '66 (1998)

Dir. Vincent Gallo

We know that films use images to help tell a story, but for some directors the more subtle art of using the imagery as a language with its own semantic and contextual layers is an art form equally important to the process. In the best films a single image is more polysemous than even the most versatile word. Buffalo ‘66 epitomises the notion.

It was Gallo's début feature-length and he wrote, directed, scored and starred in it. He plays Billy Brown, recently released from prison into a cold world. Billy finds a peculiar kind of warmth in Christina Ricci’s reactive performance, but he’s not equipped to deal with the kind of salvation she offers. His neurotic tendencies and masking of nervous weaknesses with frequent angry outbursts keep him safe and distant.

Billy's a pitiable character but he’s also a cunt to almost everyone he interacts with, which make it difficult for the viewer to sympathise with him. That we do manage to melt into that state is a credit to Gallo’s writing and amazing performance. The comedy helps a lot, easing even the tensest situation, as it explores the many different facets of unhappiness and its opposite.