The Believer (2001): Another View by Rob Milarvie
Fascinating,
Fanatical, Phenomenal
This first lead role for the now successful American actor
Ryan Gosling is possibly his strongest performance to date, with a powerful and
seductive depiction of an identity split protagonist. Additionally this gem of
a picture should have received more notification and respect from the Oscars
and placed within the Best Film and Best Actor categories. Plus this feeling of
disappointment for Gosling was amplified as the Best Actor of 2001 went to Mr
Denzel Washington for his role as narcotic Detective Alfonzo Harris in the
racially aggravating and albeit average Training Day. All this negativity just
clouds the idea that the film was immediately released onto TV, through many
well placed Jewish individuals who found the subject matter too Anti-Semitic.
So how I plead for an alternative reality to award The Believer the Oscar, the
truth is it never had a chance anyway.
However, the subject matter for this picture was of course
extreme and concentrated on the praising of right wing activists who wanted to
exterminate the Jews. So indeed, The Believer was unfortunately never in
contention to win Best Film even though it should have. On the contrary it did
receive an award from the Sundance Festival winning the Grand Jury Prize which
gave the film a certain credibility and notoriety.
The feature is based on events of a neo-Nazi Danny Balint
who believed Jews were a disease of the planet and that race is a centralised
factor for the oppressive hierarchy of man. It’s a shifting premise that Henry
Bean truly captivated with sizzling acting and an atmosphere of uncertainty and
mystique. The key moment is discovering that Danny is in fact a Jew from
childhood but rejected these notions and beliefs after unusual but plausible
perspectives of God in the Old Testament. Subsequently, as the narrative progresses,
so does the intensity for the audience and for Ryan Gosling’s character as Carla
(Summer Phoenix), a masochistic lover, who initiates the revival of Danny’s
Jewish past that begins to cloud his judgement about his existence and
vehemence.
Significantly, even with such extremist contents and an
atmosphere of pessimism, the power of the film is undeniable with such an intelligent
and elusive script. The Believer flourishes because of the precise coupling of
an articulated screenplay that is emphasised by the brilliantly orated and
gifted acting of Ryan Gosling. His seductive nature and purity of how he
addresses his perception of the world certainly raises questions and indeed,
shifts looks upon life but don’t worry, your moral compass will return.
Safe to say, Henry Bean’s first directing instalment was
possibly the most provocative film of the decade!
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