2011 Films: #2

#2 Stuck Between Stations


Proof once again that everything in life can be drawn back to The Simpsons, Seinfeld , and LOST, my ranking of this film at #2 reminds me of something that happened with LOST. Leading up the series finale, the producers made a questionable decision when they benched the entire starting team in favor of an episode with a plot line that could have been resolved weeks or possibly seasons before. It pissed a lot of people off, and hopefully the fact that I ranked a film that virtually no one has heard of one spot from the top does not have the same effect. It comes out on March 13th on DVD (and hopefully Netflix). Now, I will try and convince you why you should see this one.

Stuck Between Stations takes its name from the opening track of the Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis band the Hold Steady's classic Boys and Girls in America record. Though the song itself is about being high and or drunk ("some nights are crystal clear/but tonight it's like he's stuck between stations/on the radio"), the title is applicable to the protagonists, two postgrad hipster types who re-connect for one wild night in Minneapolis.

They are Casper (Sam Rosen), a vet of the 2nd middle east tour who is back for his father's funeral, and Becca (Zoe Lister-Jones), a graduate assistant bent on climbing the educational ladder. Out for a whiskey at famous music venue First Avenue, he spots Becca and remembers her from his childhood. The guys that she are with begin hassling her at the pool table, he steps in, he gets punched in the face. Outside a few minutes later, she approaches him and to his dismay, does not remember him. Via a cool split screen shot, we see them part ways-she to the car with her pals, him to his BMX bike-before she realize she is a little asshole'd out and runs to catch up with Casper. She's curious, obviously, and seems to want to make it up to him for the knight in shining armor act going awry. They talk about the present and the past with the lights and shadows of Minneapolis providing the backdrop. There's a tangible connection, but there are complications. Becca is romantically involved with her host professor (Michael Imperioli) and Casper, who up until this point hasn't really opened up to much of anyone, is damaged goods.

This doesn't stop the 12-hour adventure from unfolding, including a bicycle gang of Casper's old friends (including Minneapolis native Josh Hartnett), a night carnival in a warehouse, and a mission to retrieve her laptop from the professor's house. There is a constant "will they or won't they" vibe throughout, and I though I won't tell you the answer to that, know that what matters is, just like 1995's Before Sunrise, they click enough to tell each other the most intimate details of their lives as virtual strangers. Sometimes, it's easier that way.

It's very possible that I am biased because of the Minneapolis aspect. However, the script and the leads are strong enough that I believe it would have worked in any city. Working with a script penned by Rosen, director Brady Kiernan (newcomer) and cinematographer Bo Hakala (previously worked on Atmosphere and Doomtree music videos) aptly give life to Minneapolis, to the night, and to the confusion of trying to figure out exactly where, and who with, you belong.