- Gerry (film)
Infobox_Film
name = Gerry
writer =Casey Affleck Matt Damon Gus Van Sant
starring =Matt Damon Casey Affleck
director =Gus Van Sant
producer =Dany Wolf
distributor = Independent FilmsThinkFilm Inc.
music =
released =14 February 2003
runtime = 103 min.
language = English
budget = $3,500,000 (estimated)
music =Arvo Pärt
amg_id = 1:260308
imdb_id = 0302674"Gerry" is a 2002 film directed by
Gus Van Sant , written by and starringMatt Damon andCasey Affleck . It was shot in a semi-improvised style with a small crew in Argentina, Death Valley, and the Utah Salt Flats, and is dedicated to the memory ofKen Kesey . It is the first film of Van Sant's "Death Trilogy ", three films based on true-life deaths.Plot
"Gerry" is about two driving companions, both called Gerry. "Gerry", a slang term used by Matt Damon and Casey and
Ben Affleck meaning "screw up," [http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/movies/film/documents/02720644.htm Gerry meandering] ] is used several times in the film as a verb or adjective in addition to being used as a proper noun. Van Sant revealed in interviews that Damon and Affleck used the term before the movie had even been named. The characters are apparently on a hike to view a "thing" at the end of a wilderness trail, but after some walking, talking, and a short foot race they agree on their mutual disinterest in the site and decide to turn around. They soon realize that they are lost in thedesert .After several days of wandering around mostly in silence, both protagonists collapse due to fatigue and
dehydration . The weaker of the two (Affleck) proclaims that he is "leaving." Whereupon, Damon struggles on top of Affleck, dispassionately strangling him. After some time, he's awakened by the sound of an engine and rises to his feet.Walking only a few hundred yards or so, he discovers ahighway on thehorizon . Gerry catches a ride with a family, whom he watches in awkward silence.The plot of the film closely resembles the events surrounding the death of
David Coughlin , who was killed by his friendRaffi Kodikian after the two got lost in Rattlesnake Canyon in New Mexico. It also bears a resemblance to the confirmed trueDarwin Award story called "Dry Spell" where a man on a survival hike died of dehydration only a half mile from his truck [ [http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1994-05.html 1993 Darwin Awards: Dry Spell] ] .Further reading
*
Narrativity - in contrast to the approach adopted for this film.References
External links
*imdb title|id=0302674|title=Gerry
*http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/260308/Gerry/overview New York Times review.
*http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030228/REVIEWS/302280304/1023 Roger Ebert's review.
*http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949465/review/5949466/gerry Rolling Stone review.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
