The Guatemalan Handshake
Country and Year: USA (2006)
Director: Todd Rohal
Starring: Will Oldham, Sheila Scullin, Katy Haywood
DVD Distributors: Benten Films

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars (good)
Review by: Charlie Prince

Think of The Guatemalan Handshake as a love letter to memories of growing up in small town, USA. The film, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival, has only just been made available on DVD from Benten Films (more on the label later). The Guatemalan Handshake is loosely centered around Will Oldham’s character, Donald Turnupseed — or rather his disappearance, and as fair warning, it is not structured around a traditional narrative structure of any kind. Rather, it is a collection of moments that come together like a collage to paint a loving picture of small town life, warts and all. For those with the patience for atypical narratives, this one’s a real treat.

This film grew on me in a 2nd viewing, and I must admit that at first blush I was left at a bit of a loss by what initially struck me as a disconnected string of quirky characters and events. A older lady, depressed that she has lost her dog, is losing her sanity; an older man has a longstanding battle trying to open the padlock on his shed; a TV host for a local kids program announces that he’s going to kill himself at a local canyon; and our main character (of sorts) has wandered away from his friends (and girlfriend), leaving them concerned as to his whereabouts. On first viewing, I was expecting all this to come together somehow, and you should realize it doesn’t — it’s not trying to.

Knowing this, I was able to appreciate the film for what it was on a second viewing. Director Todd Rohal, and the others who helped him create the look and feel of the film, are channeling childhood experiences of growing up. One fun example involves a young girl (played perfectly by Katy Haywood), who has set about making her own, perfect meal. Left to her own devices, the menu for her will consist of chocolate, chocolate, whipped cream, and more chocolate, complete with chocolate syrup and a hollow chocolate Easter bunny (which she has filled with chocolate milk!). It doesn’t advance the plot and it’s not explained, we just see it on-screen and understand. For anyone who remembers creating a meal like this as a kid (guilty!) it is a touching moment.

Listening to the director’s commentary makes the film’s connection with childhood memories even more clear. At one point, for example, we see the young girl from the chocolate meal scene jumping into a lake from a tree swing. The filmmakers explain in the commentary that they found the location by going around the town they were filming in to ask the local kids where the swimming hole was — reasoning, correctly apparently, that every small town was bound to have a swimming hole. Other references in the film are more personal. For example, a memorably unusual electric car, which pops up periodically throughout the film, was included because the director has a car just like it. The car is arguably a defining character of the film in itself.

There is an overtly humorous side of the film — obviously intentional and at times bordering on slapstick — which I interpret as the director’s equivalent of laughing at oneself when one remembers ridiculous and embarrassing moments from growing up. For example, one of the people that Will Oldham’s character has left behind is a young pregnant girl. I’d guess she’s in her early 20s, and her character is played fairly straight-forward as someone who is gentle and unsure of what’s in her future. In contrast to her relaxed nature, however, we see her interact with her manic, athletically-obsessed father, a local schoolbus driver, who renounces her on the street in front of a busload of oblivious children. The scene is odd to the point of feeling completely surreal, to a comic effect. Later in the film she considers dating a local roller-skating rink “referee”, a character who approaches cartoon status as a guy who takes his job too seriously (and seems to always wear short shorts that are falling off his butt at all times). Perhaps this is to be expected. After all, the film was shot on the notorious 3 Mile Island where the nuclear power plant had its meltdown, so an off-kilter, at times Simpsons-like, environment is understandable, albeit interspersed with serious dramatic moments.

I won’t describe any more of the plot for feat of giving too much away, though — given its narrative structure — I doubt I could “ruin” the film for you even if I tried. This is an atmospheric collection of moments, and describing them will convey little in comparison to watching and feeling the film for yourself. The more I think about it, though, there’s something relaxing about this film. Although the zanier characters are intense by themselves, as a whole the filmmakers succeed in capturing the feeling of a peaceful summer, with imperfect, gentle people that you can’t help but like. Will Oldham’s character, in particular, embodies this spirit of the movie. In that sense, The Guatemalan Handshake complements his performance in Old Joy, which also had a reflective tenderness in tone that you don’t see in most films. If Oldham keeps this up, before long people will start calling it a movement.

And speaking of movements, I’d like to step back a moment to talk about Benten Films, the DVD Company that released The Guatemalan Handshake. This is the third release from the new label (which, I note, includes spine numbers on the DVDs, a la the Criterion Collection). The first two releases were LOL and a double feature of Quiet City and Dance Party USA – all films from the so-called “mumblecore” movement. While I definitely enjoyed and recommend The Guatemalan Handshake, I must say that I loved the label’s first two releases. I hope to write more about them sometime soon, but in the meantime it’s important to note that The Guatemalan Handshake isn’t a “mumblecore” film. While the releases share a kindred spirit of sorts in their indie ways and (at times) earnest reflections on everyday life, there is a surreal “memoirs” feel to Guatemalan Handshake that plays in significant contrast to the Dogme-esque dramas of LOL and Quiet City. Also, unlike The Guatemalan Handshake, these films follow more straight-forward dramatic arcs.

And don’t get me wrong, I have come to see The Handshake’s narrative structure as a plus — it is precisely that creative method of storytelling that gives the film its strength. Perhaps a loose point of comparison would be Paul Thomas Anderson’s well-loved film Magnolia, which also featured a series of characters operating somewhat independently. And, of course, not everyone will appreciate this style of storytelling. This film makes no effort to follow any Hollywood rules about setting up a character with a conflict at the beginning of the film and resolving that conflict at the end. On the contrary, most issues are left unresolved, and certainly there’s not a big “twist” ending. But if you like indie films, have the patience for a more relaxed type of storytelling, and especially if you enjoyed Oldham in Old Joy, then you’re very likely to enjoy this film. In fact, as I came to learn, I’d recommend you watch it twice!

The DVD comes as a 2-disc set with “10 Moments from the Set of The Guatemalan Handshake”, “4 Moments from the Road with The Guatemalan Handshake” and 6 short films directed by the cast and crew, plus an essay by filmmaker David Gordon Green. And if you’re thinking of buying the DVD, I note that if you buy in through the director’s website, you also get a special disc of short films not available elsewhere (see links below).

© Charlie Prince

---

Additional Links:
::: Official Website for the Film (this is where you can buy the DVD with the extra disc)
::: Discuss The Guatemalan Handshake with Others in the Movie Forum Lounge
::: Not registered for the forum? Click here to register!!