Written and directed by Tim Sutton; director of photography, Chris Dapkins; edited by Seth Bomse; music by Willis Earl Beal; production design by Bart Mangrum; produced by John Baker; released by Kino Lorber. Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes. This film is not rated.
Connecticut College alumn Tim Sutton ’92 returned to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 2 for a screening of the film Memphis, which he both wrote and directed. Sutton started off the screening by reflecting back on his days at Conn, mentioning that he lived in Freeman Tower and that at the time there was no formal Film Studies Department, “just kids who went around with cameras” and appeared to know what they were doing. He advised current students to take in the film and view it the way one would drink wine, since—as he put it— “you don’t chug wine.”
Set in Memphis, Tennessee, the film’s location is extremely important and even seems to take on a persona of its own. With its rich musical history, Memphis is a place where artists come from all over seeking inspiration. The main character of the movie, Willis, is one of these artists. The film follows this character as he tries to create a record, but then loses himself in the process. Whether he loses himself to the beautiful landscape of Memphis, drugs and alcohol, religion or something else is left unclear to the viewer, leaving one to come to his or her own conclusion.
As Sutton pointed out after the screening, the film is not about having a clear plot, but rather “creating an environment.” In fact, the first thing that struck me, as others mentioned in the discussion after the screening, was the beautiful lighting and images that worked to move the scenes along. This film embodies the term “moving images,” with the lens of the camera lingering on the picturesque scenery.
Creating an environment for the film resulted in not only beautiful imagery but also vivid secondary characters that all in some way embody aspects of Memphis. For example, one boy shown often riding a bicycle and also playing cards with Willis becomes an all-knowing figure who comments on religion and gives perspective for Willis. His continued eye contact with the camera reflects his persona and creates a feeling that he is not only aware of something beyond this world in a religious sense, but that he is aware of the creation of the film and its purpose. The religious man in a bar who beckons Willis to continue to sing because it is his God-given talent becomes the voice of the Baptist church that Willis visits at various times throughout the film. The one-legged man who acts as Willis’s sidekick becomes a representation of the musical scene and inspiration that Memphis provides. As the sidekick drives around with Willis, Willis begins to lose himself more and more in the world created within the film.
As the audience gets wrapped up in the beauty and personality of Memphis and these characters, Willis, too, falls in love with the place and ends up camping out in a forest made to seem like a kind of Eden. The film shifts from a story about searching for musical inspiration to a quest for something bigger, a universal truth. •
