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Get Low

Director: Aaron Schneider - Rated M

Reviewed by Joshua Maule

20 May 2011

12:32pm Friday, 20th May 2011

It won't be the most celebrated film of the year, but Get Low may end up being the most honest regarding repentance. Robert Duvall (To Kill A Mockingbird) plays Felix Bush, a reclusive man whom people have long talked about. Locals venturing too close to his old cabin have often fled to the sound of his shotgun. He apparently killed a man, in cold blood, no less.

As with the real story of Bush who lived in Tennessee in the 1930s, Duvall's character decides to throw himself a funeral party. The catch is, he'll be attending. Alive.

Breaking the news to his local pastor, there is some confusion.
"Have you made peace with God, sir?" the pastor asks.
"I've paid..."
"Mr Bush, you can't buy forgiveness. It's free. But you do have to ask for it."

Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) - who owns a struggling funeral home - is keen to organise the funeral. He and Bush strike a deal and promote the event. Townsfolk from nearby districts buy tickets in droves on the promise they will share stories of the notorious man.

But as the celebration nears, things get complicated. A murky past comes to the fore. Another pastor and old friend of Bush's won't speak at the funeral because he doesn't believe the man has changed. Mattie - a woman who got close to Bush - can't trust him.

And so it is not death that begins to feel weighty. Life does. Mistakes and unchangeable details bind Bush tightly. Duvall's portrayal of this inner-battle is captivating. While it wouldn't be right to reveal the film's climax, suffice to say it paints a portrait of dealing with life's mistakes as rarely seen on the silver screen.

While many a Hollywood character goes through a turnaround to emerge moist-eyed clutching apology roses, Get Low's story is more substantial. Triumphalism and happily-ever-afterness are replaced by the authenticity of facing one's hangups squarely. Bush's words about the slavery of bitterness speak of the human struggle for humility, not least because they are so difficult for him to get out.

While a religious undercurrent is clear, Bush's own faith is flaky. His convictions are weak. While the climax could have been stronger, Duvall's rawness is the saving grace and one Christians should enjoy.