Everyone struggles with demons, something which is on full display in the psychologically complex drama Four. Based an Christopher Shinn’s Off-Broadway play of the same name, Four cuts back and forth between two couples both on very awkward dates that seem to mirror each other in strange ways. All the characters suffer from being trapped by circumstances beyond their control and are desperately seeking some sort of brief escape through drugs and/or sex.
This first full-length feature film by director Joshua Sanchez opens with a scene slightly reminiscent of The Graduate, where June (Emory Cohen stares at his backyard pool looking forlorn and distant. His concerned mother checks on him but he shrugs her off, saying that he is meeting up with some friends to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. June, a shy, closeted, self-loathing White suburban teen, has arranged a clandestine meeting over the Internet with Joe (Wendell Pierce), a middle-aged married man, who is African-American.
June calls Joe from a pay phone and waits for him in a dark vacant parking lot. When Joe arrives, his face is hidden in shadow so his features are barely visible. The scene seems to be a metaphor for Joe’s affair with June, which is by nature taboo. They are both guilty of hiding their homosexuality terrified of being exposed, however the metaphor is a little too on the nose. Also, one has to wonder if they were scared of being caught, why would they arrange to meet in same small town where they both live? Maybe the confined setting is meant to reinforce the feeling of claustrophobia they feel of being trapped.
Meanwhile, Joe’s daughter Abigayle (Aja Naomi King) thinks her father is on a business trip to Boston while she is in charge of taking care of her mentally disturbed mother. When we are introduced to Abigayle, she is talking on the phone with a roguish Latino high school basketball player named Dexter (E.J. Bonilla) Abigayle seems smart enough not to fall for his overt sexual advances however, she does seem flattered to be receiving attention of a cute boy, even if he seems a little caught up by their ethnic differences.
There is a similar dynamic between the two couples, one asking the questions desperately trying to get the other to open up. However, in this case it is Abigayle who has her guard up, she doesn’t want to be vulnerable and expose too much of herself. Dexter seems to be laying all his cards on the table and also peppers her with questions to convey his interest.
Throughout the characters’ journey on this hot summer night, the audience gets a sense of the hurt and anguish that these people are dealing with in their ordinary lives. They are all prisoners of circumstance and it’s a feeling that many people can relate to.
In an interview with Popdecay’s Editor-in-Chief Desiree Washington during the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival, Sanchez explained his approach to Four. “The stories are intentionally open-ended,” he said. “It’s a means of allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions without dictating moral judgment for viewers.” Differing from the play in an essential way, Sanchez’ Four seeks to “get into the center of the relationship between Joe and Abigayle.” “In making Four cinematic, I wanted to flesh out the family dynamic and explore more of what was going on there,” he told Desiree.
Sanchez was drawn to Four after Shinn and he hit it off as friends. “I’d read the play around the time of film school and thought it was something I thought I could do, a story about a contained suburban world.” In fact, Sanchez’ shooting style confirms his mastering the Four story. When Four opens, it is shot wide, with vibrant saturated hues reflective of the real color palette one sees in night time suburbia. Shots get closer as the window into the four characters’ lives gets clearer, and then pulls away as the characters begin to distance themselves from each other emotionally.
Four comes alive primarily because its cast is first rate. Wendell Pierce imbues Joe with strength and sensitivity that makes judging his character’s actions difficult. Emory’s confused, vulnerable June is true-to-life. Newcomer Aja Naomi King is remarkably strong as Abigayle, a natural who makes hard to believe she hasn’t worked on the stage or screen for years. She finds both the ice and fire churning in Abigayle’s soul and brings it to the screen with vivid realism.
Four is a masterfully told study of four people struggling to find themselves through others. It premiered this week at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the Narrative Competition.
Producer: Christine Giorgio
Screenwriter: Joshua Sanchez
Cinematographer: Gregg Conde
Editor: David Gutnik
Music: Bryan Senti
Cast: Wendell Pierce, Emory Cohen, Aja Naomi King, EJ Bonilla
