I'm shocked to report that Madonna's directorial debut Filth and Wisdom isn't bad at all. Telling the story of struggling London musician A.K. (Eugene Hutz of the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello) and his friends, the film has a gritty, low-budget feel and, after an opening monologue delivered straight into the camera, doesn't seem to take itself too seriously.
In fact, if we didn't know an international superstar was behind the production, Filth and Wisdom would seem like a pleasant indie film with a feel-good moral. Hutz spells it out for us: good and bad, filth and wisdom, are just two sides of the same coin, and either one can take us to redemption.
And redemption -- or at least a paycheck -- is what A.K. is after. When he's not handing out demo CDs or quoting gypsy sayings in an empty bathtub while swilling cognac, he entertains S&M customers in the uniform of an Eastern European general. Among his friends are a ballerina who's learning how to pole-dance (leading to an lascivious training montage), a pill-popping pharmacist who dreams of Africa, and a blind poet who quit writing (Richard E. Grant).
With its generous helping of empathy and well-timed jokes, one of them involving her own music, Madonna's debut is a modest success.
Filth and Wisdom (2008)
Starring: Eugene Hutz, Vicky McClure, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Graham, Shobu Kapoor
Directed by: Madonna
Produced by: Madonna , Nicola Doring, Angela Becker
Running Time: 1 hr. 20 min.
Release Date: October 17th, 2008 (limited)
Distributors: IFC Films
Starring: Eugene Hutz, Vicky McClure, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Graham, Shobu Kapoor
Directed by: Madonna
Produced by: Madonna , Nicola Doring, Angela Becker
Running Time: 1 hr. 20 min.
Release Date: October 17th, 2008 (limited)
Distributors: IFC Films
