Ever
since John Ford’s genre-defining The
Searchers was released, nearly every subsequent western has had to deal with
its legacy. That is even true of spoofs like this one. In the case of this goofball
oater, the only Native character is just as big of an idiot as the pasty white
characters. Nevertheless, echoes of The
Searchers can be heard and seen throughout the Zellner Brothers’ Damsel, which screened at this year’s
Sundance Film Festival.
Samuel
Alabaster is a bit squirrely, but he seems like an earnest young chap, so sad
sack Parson Henry agrees to make the trek to marry him and his beloved
Penelope. However, while en route, Alabaster (he’s a white guy, in case you
were unsure) informs the nebbish man of the cloth, he has actually joined a rescue
mission. Dear Penelope has been kidnapped by the dastardly Anton. Yet, poor
Henry agrees to soldier on, because he is moved by Alabaster’s ardor. However,
things really get complicated when they arrive at the cabin.
Basically,
the Zellners give an ironic O. Henry twist to the Old West premise and then
devise ways to repeat the gag, over and over. Mia Wasikowska (well-represented
at Sundance) is a formidable western heroine, but to get into specifics would
be spoilery. Robert Pattinson is so unselfconsciously loopy as Alabaster, you
have to give him credit for taking chances with his image. However, the Zellners’
MVP might just be Brother David, who is surprisingly humane and even rather
affecting as Parson Henry.
As
movie mash-ups go, Damsel is
unusually moody. In fact, it rather dilly-dallies through the first act. Yet,
that means the poignant pay-off does not so radically clash with the rest of
the film. In many ways, we can see a kinship with the Zellners’ masterful Kumiko the Treasure Hunter (which also
features a terrific supporting turn from David Zellner). It also directly
addresses loneliness and the need for connection, but the outrageous gags give Damsel a partially split personality.
The
Zellners clearly use the film’s Utah locations to evoke memories of The Searchers and other Ford westerns. They
crank up the Utahness further by featuring Landon Weeks, a quite remarkable
pianist from Ogden, as a saloon piano player, which is cool. It is an inconsistent
film, but it proves movie spoofs need not be a brainless and soulless stretch
of gags. Frankly, Kumiko was so
great, it was wise of them to follow-up with something completely different. Recommended
for viewers in the mood for some idiosyncratic humor that takes a few risks, Damsel is sure to get picked up by
someone after it screened at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
