If you ever doubt the statement that independent films can be just as bad as big budget Hollywood productions, you need look no further than Erick Zonca's "Julia" for proof. Despite an interesting premise and a very strong lead performance from Tilda Swinton, Zonca's writing and direction fall apart so quickly in the process of this 2 hr 25 minute film that it becomes a chore to sit through.
The opening scenes quickly and efficiently set up our main character, Julia Harris (Swinton). She's a partying alcoholic who has trouble keeping a job, and spends most mornings walking away from a stranger while struggling to keep her clothes on. As the film opens we shortly learn that Julia has just lost another job. Soon afterwards, she meets Elena (Kate del Castillo), who, for whatever reason, manages to bring up how she wants to kidnap her son from his rich grandfather, who has total custody. She says she has money back in Mexico, more than she needs, and she eventually gets Julia to help her pull off the kidnapping, in exchange for $50,000.
Unfortunately, the problems are as obvious as Julia's drinking problem. First, there's the dialogue, which is so excruciatingly drawn out with stammering and herky-jerky stop/start delivery in an attempt to seem "real", that it ends up simply becoming infuriating. Swinton at least manages to (barely) get over this hurdle, but del Castillo doesn't, and she's a pain to listen right from the get go. Worse are the increasingly puzzling and downright stupid things that Julia does once she pulls off the kidnapping. Yes, she's a total mess, but there are limits to what we can take as an audience, and sometimes Zonca simply flies off the rails, taking us into territory so convoluted that you won't know who Julia is really manipulating, and frankly, you won't given a damn.
The only saving grace is Swinton, who, hideous dialogue and all, still manages to be compelling to watch, even at those moments where you might want to bang your head against a brick wall. As she continues her journey with her kidnap victim, she tries as best she can to make us care about the "kidnapper-surprisingly-bonds-with-his/her-captive" story arc, and with better material she probably could have been mindblowing. Unfortunately, Swinton is left to navigate a messy screenplay that feels like a lesser version of last year's "Frozen River". It's a terrible situation for an actress to have to work so hard against such horrid writing and direction, and for that alone Swinton deserves praise. Instead of succumbing to the awfulness around her, she rises above the material, using her performance to turn an otherwise unwatchable indie thriller into something just barely worth watching. And honestly, considering how bad everything else in "Julia" is, that's pretty damn remarkable.
Grade: C-
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