The exploration of the inner workings of the mind of a schizophrenic is the subject of "Clean Shaven," the latest installment in the Loew Film Series, to be shown this Thursday.
It has been described as "brilliant," "extraordinary," and "a blistering piece of cinematic inventiveness," but it has also been called "disturbing," "unsettling," and "unbearable."
Director Lodge H. Kerrigan's debut film, "Clean, Shaven" follows Peter Winter (Peter Greene), a schizophrenic who has just been released from a mental hospital, on a quest to find his daughter, whom he is forbidden to see.
Although this film is described in The Hopkins Center Guide as "relentlessly [following] a child murderer," there is no proof in the movie that Peter inflicts violence on others. Kerrigan, who gained interest in schizophrenia through his experience with a friend who suffers from it, is disturbed by the perception that schizophrenics are violent people.
The movie opens with the brutal beating of a young girl, which is not shown on screen. There is only circumstantial evidence that Peter committed the act.
There is no trace of gore in this film, or any on-screen violence except for that which Peter inflicts on himself. The scenes of his self-mutilation are unanimously agreed upon to be the most chilling and disturbing aspect of the film.
Peter believes that he has a receiver embedded in his scalp and a transmitter in his fingernail, and his efforts to remove them are graphically depicted.
When "Clean, Shaven" was shown as part of the New Directors/New Film series in New York City, "many viewers went right up the wall," according to The New York Times film critic, Janet Maslin.
Greene, who has recently appeared as the villain in "The Mask," as Zed in "Pulp Fiction," and as the cocaine-dealing Redfoot in "The Usual Suspects," brings a compelling and unsettling quality to the character of Peter. Janet Maslin describes his presence as "unnervingly chilly" and Greene's portrayal of Peter has been called "a committed, passionate performance [that] will haunt you for years,"
When "Clean, Shaven" was screened at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival, one depiction of Peter's self-mutilation caused a member of the audience to faint. Because of Kerrigan's refusal to edit out this scene, it took nearly eighteen months for him to find a distributor.
Rolling Stone magazine made the point that "most theaters aren't fighting to show an unsettling movie about a schizophrenic searching for his daughter."
What, then, can be said about the entertainment value of a film that has been called "an exercise in endurance?"
This is not likely to be considered the most easily-watched movie ever made, but it is an important work.
In light of its distributive difficulties, no one who is interested in film should pass up this rare opportunity to see independent film-making at its rawest. People who see this movie are not likely to forget it.
