That is the closing quote of Henry Chinaski as writer Charles Bukowski in the new movie that opens today called "Factotum." More and more lately I know exactly what he means. When you are going after what you really want nothing else really matters, and all the other bullshit in the world seems to go away. Of course the problem is that for most people going all the way with something they love rarely pays the bills, so people end up compromising the happiness they can find in life.
The movie directed by Bent Hamer stars Matt Dillon, and Lily Taylor, all of whom I got to meet earlier that day at a press party at The Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Mr. Hamer came in first; he talked about how the movie came about and the difficulties in making this independent film. Although the film is set in L.A, it had to be shot in a city in the midwest. Hamer said the location was meant to replicate Los Angeles, which I felt it did not do very well. As a resident and viewer of hundreds of films set here, it was obvious they were somewhere else. Had I not gotten this piece of information from Hamer, or known that Bukowski lived in L.A. I would have just assumed the film takes place in some unknown city. There were also s about comparisons to Barfly, the 1987 Barbet Schroeder film starring Mickey Rourke in which he also plays Chinaski, and which is actually filmed in L.A.
Lily Taylor, who plays Chinaski's girlfriend Jan, came in next and answered a about how she is so often featured in independent low budget films, which she described as "two weeks, no pay, my favorite kind." She explained that in regular studio movies the main concern is making back the money of the investors, which means lots of compromise. In independent films which are usually low budget, the artist is free to go further. One memorable sequence involved Chinaski finding Jan at a bar with two other guys slapping her to the floor; later we see the bruises when she gets undressed. This is the sort of thing that you don't see a lot in mainstream movies.
Finally Matt Dillon came in to be interviewed. Matt had been looking for an interesting project after his success in "Crash." Dillon had read Bukowski years earlier, and when he was approached by the producers and director Hamer, he liked the script and was signed on to play Chinaski. Matt was very thoughtful in his answers and came across with sensitivity and intelligence in describing the Chinaski role and comparing it to others he has played.
Factotum- n: A man of Many Jobs.
Charles Bukowski spent most of his time at home writing, and drinking. He would take menial jobs to support himself when he had to, and spent a log stretch sorting mail for the post office. Henry Chinaski, Bukowski's alter ego, played by Dillon, and in the earlier film Barfly by Rourke, is the writer at his worst, getting drunk, gambling, fighting, and generally being an all around boar most of the time. Chinaski drifts from one meaningless job to another so he can have money to drink, and pay the rent in his rundown apartment. He is constantly getting fired for breaking rules, or simply leaving work to go a bar, because he really doesn't give a damn about anything but writing. The real Bukowski did not begin making money at writing until he was 55 years old, Since he refused to give up on the one thing he knew he was good at he finally found success. The movie portrays Chinaski as a still unpublished writer who cares about nothing else.
Dillon does a very good job of portraying Chinaski. He takes a more subtle approach than Rourke did, which works well. Overall the movie was well-paced, never dragging and moved along quite briskly. While the subject matter could be perceived as dreary and dark the film still remained very entertaining. Of course fans of Bukowski and Matt Dillon will want to see this movie but I recommend it for anyone who, like me, thinks most of what is coming out of the Hollywood studios these days is complete crap. This is a nice change from the norm. See it on the big screen if you get a chance. Despite having never read Bukowski I found it to be quite enjoyable.