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Greendale (Not rated, probably PG-13) (83 min.) - The latest film by grump-rocker Neil Young, his first in 21 years, is so sincerely amateurish in its cinematic technique that its primitive style almost can be forgiven. Greendale was filmed by Young with a Super 8 camera, lending it home-movie sloppiness, in which editing is a rare luxury and focus is an afterthought.
Young's film is essentially an extended music video crawling from the primordial ooze out of which MTV evolved, sharing its title with the musician's recent concept album. If not for lyrics of the dozen songs performed by Young and Crazy Horse, there would be no semblance of a plot. The actors, all unknowns and apparently untrained, lip-synch Young's lyrics of conversation, while the filmmaker presents overly literal translations of the rest. Greendale isn't much to look at, yet it's always exciting to hear.
The movie is set in a Northern California town, focused on the Green family, which likely inspired its name. Over 12 chapters, we pay the most attention to young Sun Green (Sarah White), a budding environmental activist, and her cousin Jed (Eric Johnson), who murders a police officer during a traffic stop. Johnson also plays the film's silliest indulgence, a representation of Satan wearing a bright red jacket and shoes, dancing in Greendale's streets and lurking in the background.
Most chapters click, but a few clunk. The opening number, Falling from Above, is a fine way to establish the lip-synch motif, with Grandpa Green (Ben Keith) passing along dazed wisdom. Leave the Driving and Carmichael so vividly detail Jed's crime and its aftermath that one wishes the mopey, disconnected Bandit weren't placed between them. Grandpa's Interview is a slap at the media's exploitation of personal tragedies, and the climactic Be the Rain is a hummable pro-Earth rallying cry. I'm not sure I'd want to see the movie again, but the soundtrack CD is a keeper.
Even with his basic camera equipment, Young manages a few interesting visual tricks, such as the Green house seemingly ablaze and quivering with the heat of Sun's bedroom dancing. Other visual stunts, such as the devil figure supernaturally passing through walls, are laughably low-rent. The only constant is Young's music, still urgent and uncompromising despite the nostalgia factor. Greendale is as quaint, yet as necessary, as a group tree hug.
Greendale will be shown only at Tampa Theatre, sharing the weekend schedule with Charlie Chaplin's silent classic, Modern Times, though it isn't a double feature. Check the St. Petersburg Times movie schedule or call (813) 274-8981 for information. B