Game Theory Films
When actor turned filmmaker Aaron Poole is making his directorial debut in Dada, this is a movie I have to check out. This talent doesn’t limit himself to genre works. When I know him for his work in The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh and The Void, I’m taking a chance at what this film he wrote and directed is going to be about.
In what I read from an interview published in Variety, “The story is a love letter and a suicide note. It was written in response to being a single father and scraping out a living in entertainment while living in a country with a history of violence and resource extraction.”
With that in mind, my curiosity is more than piqued. Here, Adam (James Gilbert) and his daughter, Kai (newcomer Ciara Alexys) are trying to live out the glory days. And just whether they can be a family again, there’s no word about what happened to the wife. Her presence feels more ghost-like in the later part of the narrative, and as for when this road trip movie becomes a full-blown film about eco-terrorism sic horror, it depends on what viewers want to read into the world that these people are living in.
I find the narrative haunting because nobody wants to live near a nuclear power plant. A consistent hum, heard by those living nearby, can drive anyone insane! And I suspect this sound is causing the problems. The dissonance created might be similar to what conspiracy theorists are saying about the HAARP project.
Also, Kai will soon celebrate her Sweet 16, and Adam may well be sad he was never there for her as he watches her grow up and be an adult rather than a teen. While he thinks he can pick up the pieces, I suspect he’s unable because of other problems in his life. Although this film is more than just another father-daughter road trip narrative, the messages aren’t always clear.
I’m fairly sure Poole created a movie which is not supposed to make sense. He might have looked into what the Dada art movement is about and tried to put what he learned into practice. Some juxtapositions with sound and image works, and others not.
Also, I can’t help but wonder if he wanted to craft a ghost story? When the young lady acts like her father not there in the last act, I suspect he’s become a shadow. Their ability to communicate is gone, and everything becomes one-sided, and still viewed from his perspective. But when she doesn’t acknowledge him, this action makes this film even more haunting. All I could hope for is if he will ever find peace.
4 Stars out of 5
Dada Movie Trailer
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