by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $16.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Michael Kunicki, Trevor Dawkins, Vinny Kress, Kaylyn Carter
Intro:
… as rewarding as it is skin-crawlingly stressful.
Is it possible to feel sorry for someone, laugh at their self-inflicted misfortune, and be angered at what their actions have done to others around them, all at the same time? With the right touch, absolutely, and $POSITIONS has it in spades.
The story of struggling crypto trader Mike (Michael Kunicki) and the increasingly deep hole that he keeps digging for himself, carries a similarly nerve-wracking tension as a Safdie brothers joint. But it manages to distinguish itself from that clear influence through its genuinely incredible tonal balancing act. There are chuckles to be gotten out of seeing Mike embarrass himself so thoroughly, even outside of the strictly financial activities, but it’s all underlined with the in-depth understanding of why he’s doing it, both externally and internally. Dealing with grief, a tangible loss of direction in life, and just wanting to make the best of things… even if it entails awful behaviour.
There’s a scene where Mike goes to a house party to ‘celebrate’, and pretty much in real time, the film’s focus takes its own nosedive in terms of mood. That knowing wink behind his character’s actions fades into something much sadder, much darker, to the point where those on both sides of the screen actively shift from taking the piss out of this lad, into the kind of sickly melancholic revelation of just how far into the shit he must be to be acting like this. There are still a few pockets of dark humour to be found afterwards, but it marks a serious shift from hapless goofiness into “dude… are you okay?”
And sure enough, he very much isn’t, but the cornerstone to the film’s juggling of begrudging laughs, teeth-baring disdain, and sympathetic soul-rot, is its understanding and depiction of what’s really going on with Mike. Beneath the socioeconomics, the sexual frustration, and his (to put it lightly) strained relationship with his own family, Mike is an addict. An addict so far in the pull of his chosen vice that not only does he keep burrowing deeper in an attempt to get out, he ends up pushing others into their own holes just to get his fix. Diseases, financial ruin, literal drug relapses, even death; all collateral damage to keep the beast fed.
Kunicki’s performance is astounding to watch as he weaves through all of this, but the film’s real emotional powerhouse is Trevor Dawkins as his cousin Travis, who conveys his own addict’s journey, and also brings a more spiritual dimension to the film’s musings on overcoming such a condition.
Along with effectively aping their queasy, blood pressure testing atmospherics, writer/director Brandon Daley shows here that the Safdie influence is more than skin-deep, highlighting the tragedy of trying to fill a gaping hole in one’s contentment with substances. It not only allows the film for some appreciably sombre moments as everyone gets their breath back and comes to terms with the hole that they’re in, but also gives the story just enough hope that it doesn’t feel like misery just for the sake of it. There is a way out… you just might not be able to see it until you hit rock bottom.
Premiering at SXSW, $POSITION is as rewarding as it is skin-crawlingly stressful. Its frank and brutally honest depiction of gambling addiction (and if reading that invokes any kind of knee-jerk reaction that crypto dealing isn’t gambling, this film was probably made just for you) is terrifically performed and written, and the way it manages to balance all manner of conflicting emotional reactions, both on-screen and while watching, while still letting them deliver on their respective entertainment values, is quite the accomplishment for a debut feature.
