Factotum -- The Movie
Factotum is based upon the 1975 novel by the American writer Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994). The movie was shot in Minnesota in 2004 and premiered at several independent film festivals before its commercial release. The best-known earlier movie based upon Bukowski's work was Barfly (1987) which stared Mickey Rourke.
I looked forward to seeing Factotum for a long time, and I wasn't disappointed. The major character is Henry Chinaski, a character who figures in many Bukowski novels and stories and who is based loosly on Bukowski's own life. Matt Dillon gives a stunning performance of Chinaski, as does Lili Taylor, as Chinaski's on-again off-again girlfriend Jan.
Although the movie was shot in Minnesota, the scene of the movie is the poorer sections of Los Angeles during the years of WW II. Chinaski, a loner, outsider and drifter rejected for military service, is fired from one menial job after another as he works toward becoming a writer. Chinaski drinks heavily, gambles at the racetrack, fights, and moves from woman to woman. The low life of the movie is convincingly portrayed; yet Chinaski perseveres and ultimately succeeds in his goal of becoming a writer.
The movie differs from the novel in that the movie is set entirely in Los Angeles. In Bukowski's novel, Chinaski wanders back and forth around the United States. Thus, the novel begins in New Orleans, as Chinaski heads West to Los Angeles, and then backtracks through New York City, Philadelphia, and St. Louis before drifting back to Los Angeles. The book is thus substantially more episodic and less focused that the film adaptation. In addition, the film portrays Chinaski somewhat more sympathetically than does Bukowski's own text. For example in one scene, after Chinaski and Jan have walked some distance to pick up a check when Chinaski is fired from a job, Jan complains that she can't walk further and takes of her high heels. In the movie, Chinaski gallantly offers her his own shoes. This offer doesn't happen in the novel. The Minnesota scene of the movie doesn't quite look like Los Angeles, but it does capture the seedy, squalid character of Chinaski's surroundings.
In watching the movie, my companion commented on the lurid quality of the lighting, particularly as it involved the bar scenes. Another unusual feature of the movie is the outstanding musical score, which sets several of Bukoski's poems.
This is a tough, gritty movie of an individual who is seemingly headed for a life of alcoholism and failure. Chinaski somehow redeems himself as he works towards becoming a writer. I think the book and the movie both illustrate a traditional theme. They show how art and reflection have the power to find beauty in even the most sordid scenes and to bring meaning to a life in the midst of waste and sorrow.
Robin Friedman
