Flashbacks of a Fool (2008)

Directed by: Baillie Walsh | 113 minutes | drama | Actors: Emile Robert, Daniel Craig, Julie Ordon, Gina Athans, Erich Conrad, Eve, Emilia Fox, Annabel Linder, Angie Ruiz, Sue Dall, Mark Strong, Pope Jerrod, Darron Meyer, Harry Eden, Max Deacon

The drama ‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ may have passed the cinemas silently, but it is certainly not a film to turn your nose at. Although the film has some structural problems and is not particularly original of its kind, the production is professionally put together – with beautiful camera work and solid acting – and the flashbacks from the title (actually one long, continuous flashback) are sufficiently atmospheric and compelling to to keep the viewer’s interest constantly. And Daniel “Bond” Craig – who also serves as producer on the film – shows an interesting new side in this contemplative drama. Enough reason to give this film a chance.

The big draw in this film is, of course, Daniel Craig, who for once plays not the tough, invincible hero, but a decadent, older actor who loses himself too much in his hedonistic lifestyle to be happy or to impress his surroundings. The opening minutes of the film are reminiscent of his macho Bond persona when we see him engaged in a hot “sex sandwich” with two women, a scene that is blurry, however, and the next morning an exhausted Craig shows in the bright morning light. Perhaps a bit unbelievable that he does walk around muscular and toned, because otherwise he is a pathetic bunch of human beings who seem to care about no one but himself and who constantly commits alcohol and drugs. Even the women who leave his bedroom the next morning complain about his lack of stamina, so what seemed so passionate and tantalizing is anything but rosy. And he lives in a large, modern building on the beach, director Baillie Walsh gives the whole thing an appropriately cold tone.

But even though Daniel Craig is at the top of the credit list, he really only has a relatively small role. He may only be on screen for half an hour, in the first and last parts of the film, which puts the actual story in a sort of frame story. The viewer spends most of the film with the young version of Craig’s character, Joe Scot. Here the viewer initially expects to learn more about the probably special bond with his boyfriend Boots, as the news of his death sends the adult Scot back to his childhood, when he finds the happiness of the world for the grab but made wrong choices at key moments. Yet it is not the bond with Boots, who is surprisingly infrequent, that is most prominent, but young Joe’s sexual budding and his almost romantic relationship with the enchanting Ruth. Joe’s sexual development is accelerated by his young married neighbor who seduces him several times when her husband is at work. Strengthened by these experiences, Joe is confident enough to approach the coveted Ruth of every young man. But their first casual date together, at her home, is remarkably tender and innocent. Here they have some magical moments together, such as when they lie on their backs on her parents’ deep pile carpet and gently touch each other’s hands. Later, he will be sold forever when they lip-sync a Brian Ferry song and she plays the solo parts in slow motion and he does the choirs. Beautifully shot by director Walsh with pastels and soft focus, and of course the characteristic seventies music works wonders, with an atmosphere very much like films like ‘The Virgin Suicides’ or ‘Almost Famous’.

They are the most interesting scenes in the film, along with the encounters between Joe and his rutting neighbor, who, like the young Ruth, is designed and interpreted in a fascinating and layered way. Not only does this woman exude unbridled desire or immoral lust, but also loneliness, vulnerability, and, later, deep guilt when a tragic accident occurs during one of her outrages with young Joe. It’s a shocking moment—involving the neighbor’s daughter—that has dramatic, psychological consequences for both the woman and Joe. Even if you see it coming as a viewer, the incident still comes in like a sledgehammer. Joe turns out to be unable to deal with this and flees from his hometown, never to look back. Until Boots dies and he thinks back to that conscious, tumultuous period in his life.

The film’s childhood episodes are interestingly portrayed and well worth checking out, but it’s actually not entirely clear what Joe was to blame. In fact, he just made some unfortunate choices and could have been happier had he chosen true love over lust even then, but he didn’t make any serious mistakes. In addition, his bond with Boots doesn’t seem to be the reason that he thinks back or longs for the past, because it doesn’t seem to have been such a great friendship. It must have been mostly about Ruth for Joe, but the two of them haven’t experienced enough together to justify the melodramatic ending. The adult Ruth is clearly very affected by the missed opportunities of the past, but this doesn’t impress the viewer enough. In this way, the adult and youth segments of the film remain too separate from each other. Another problem, perhaps, is that the actor who plays the young Joe Scot, Emile Robert, is not the most charismatic (young) actor, which means that potential emotional layers in his character cannot be expressed.

‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ is a professional production, with atmospheric visuals that give the scenes an alternating cool and warm tone, and that tells a basically compelling story with an overall excellent cast and beautiful music. It is a pity that some motivations are not sufficiently substantiated and that there is not much new under the sun from a story point of view, but for lovers of quiet, atmospheric dramas – with the bonus of Daniel Craig’s muscular (half) naked body for the ladies – the film is definitely recommended.