Sometimes Steven Soderbergh's films are better described as "projects". The director clearly enjoys the flexibility his career affords him. Since his 1989 gem "sex, lies and videotape" made him a name, his wildly uneven career has teetered between popcorn fare like
Ocean's Eleven and serious Oscar bait like
Traffic. With "Bubble" not only is the film itself an experiment (minimalist storytelling using non-actors) but so is its delivery. "
Bubble" is being released simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and on cable.
While his pal and sometime co-producer George Clooney uses his clout to finance more political fare pushing Hollywood out of its comfort zone, Mr. Soderbergh uses his experiments to push filmmaking in new directions. I happen to agree with Mr. Soderbergh that the future of filmed entertainment will offer a variety of delivery mechanisms, but I'm not sure why "Bubble" needs to be released in the theaters. A small story about small town folks, "Bubble" is perhaps best suited for the small screen.
Kyle (Dustin James Ashley) is a classic disaffected youth, living with his mom, drifting from job to job trying to save enough money to buy a car because "y'know, that's nice to have." He works at an Ohio doll factory with Martha (Debbie Doebereiner) an overweight, older woman who cares for her aged father when she's not popping the eyes into the doll heads. Kyle and Martha share a low-key working relationship, eating lunch together and sharing rides. When a large order is placed at the company, Rose (Misty Dawn Wilkins) is brought in to help meet quota. There's nothing flashy about Rose, but she has a hint of fire in her and catches Kyle's attention.
"Bubble" is not a documentary; its dialogue, written by Coleman Hough, lies somewhere between script and improvisation. The story, only 75 minutes long, is told in short vignettes bookended by spare acoustic guitar. Mr. Soderbergh directs with unobtrusive flair and coaxes some startling performances out of his non-professional cast. Ms. Doebereiner's Martha has an oddly fascinating face and Mr. Ashley could give certain teen matinee idols a run for their money.
This latest Soderbergh "project" is not as precious ("Full Frontal") or self-conscious ("Schizopolis") as some of the director's other experiments and probably comes closer to capturing the spirit "sex, lies and videotape" than anything he's done since. "Bubble" may be about ordinary folks, but its impact on film delivery is likely to be anything but. If nothing else it proves that Mr. Soderbergh, when he gets inspired, has still got it.
