Usually it is not a good sign if a director or screenplay writer has to advertize his or her idea for a film all across Hollywood for several years, in order to get it realized. A good example was John Travolta’s attempt to get Battlefield Earth financed and green lighted. Those who have seen it, know what I mean. Something similar happened with Robert Towne’s attempts to get Ask the Dust, based on John Fante’s novel, launched. Towne, once responsible for screenplays for films such as Chinatown, Shampoo, The Firm and the first two Mission: Impossible flicks, had to hawk his project for almost fifteen years. Once the studio executives had given it a go, they were released from Towne’s nagging, but with a flop bestowed upon them.

Basically, Towne’s setting and ideas are pretty decent. So is the cast. We have Colin Farrell and Selma Hayek in the lead roles and Donald Sutherland as a supporting cast member (I wonder why, since he has little to do). Colin plays Arturo Bandini, a tormented writer of Italian descent, who moves into an apartment building in one of the LA suburbs. Despite of being ready to write the bestseller of his lifetime, Arturo lacks that little something called inspiration. After a month has passed, Arturo has five cents left and decides to spend it at the local diner. There he meets Camilla, a Mexican waitress (Hayek), with whom he starts a game of cat and mouse. She does, however, officiate as Arturo’s muse.

There is a constant stream of argument, attraction and annoyance between the two of them, which pretty much defines the film. Ask the Dust was shot in South Africa and takes place in 1934 Los Angeles. The setting is quite wonderful and so is the imagery. However, from a laurelled screenplay-writer such as Towne, one might expect much more clever writing. In fact, this is a ‘30s film shot seven decades too late. Such a film would work if it were made in the ‘30s. Towne brings up a narrative reminiscent of the film noir genre, even though this is set ten years before this genre took off and it concerns a love story and not a mystery. But still, a lot of elements of this genre are present: the voice-overs (especially by the protagonist), the femme fatale, another caring female character (see below) and the film’s ending. Then there is the point of view and the shaded camera work. I could rave on forever…

The pace is slow. Pretty much perfect for the ‘30s, but way too sluggish for 2006. This pace as well as the narrative structure and the forced dialogues really start to get on your nerves. A fresh element is the introduction of Vera Rivkin (played by Idina Menzel), who keeps entering Arturo’s life and is infatuated and cares for him, knowing she will never fully have him. Her presence seems a bit offbeat, even though it introduces the highly necessary relativity in this rather dull story. The interaction between Farrell and Hayek is unnatural and there is a total lack of chemistry between the two of them. Maybe it would be best if Towne stuck to writing scripts, since his directing is decent but not special enough to write home about.

Directed by: Robert Towne
Starring: Colin Farrell, Selma Hayek, Donald Sutherland, Vera Rivkin
Runtime: 117’
Release Dates: US: 17 March, UK: 2 June, The Netherlands: 22 June
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