by Ryan Lewellen
I was attracted to this film because I could tell I would identify with it. I don’t know if you’ve read the series I wrote on Hercules in cinema last summer, but it served as my induction to this fine website, as well as a chance to unpack my weird longing to be a kind of superhero. I have always been slightly bigger than the average man. I am by no means enormous, but my larger size, coupled with what my girlfriend calls “strength beyond physics”, has inspired endless daydreaming on Herculean feats of savior-dom since childhood. I know that sounds crazy, but I would be shocked to discover I was alone in that proclivity. After all, the world’s strongest men could bench press me, and break me in half. What are their dreams like? The strongest man in The Strongest Man, played by newcomer, Robert Lorie, isn’t so much concerned with what his strength is for, as he is with cultural identity, anxiety, a legacy for his future family, and his BMX bike made of gold.
Beef (Lorie), a stoic man of Hispanic decent, works construction in Miami with his life-long friend, Conan (Paul Chamberlain), a man whose family emigrated from China before his birth. Working hard for a promising future, Beef lives a bare-bones existence: no furniture in his apartment, no television, and no collections. This meager home is located just across the street from a modern high rise, where Mrs. Rosen (Lisa Banes) pays him to occasionally move her art around for her. Living with Mrs. Rosen, is her neice, Illi (Ashly Burch), Beef’s implausible love interest. Separated by race, class, and upbringing, the snobby (and possibly jealous) Mrs. Rosen tries to keep their separation intact. After a visit to a spiritual guru (Patrick Fugit) with Illi, Beef and Conan go on a quest to find their spirit animals, which results in the theft of Beef’s prized bicycle. Having lost his treasured pastime, Beef is now on the hunt to find himself, as well as his only belonging.
The Strongest Man is the kind of indie comedy that has just enough quirk to charm and provide a refreshing offbeat vibe without inspiring eye rolling. Between the fun characters, and the eccentric formal elements, there is a great deal to love about this small and infectious film. Its actors fully live in their characters, especially the primary trio of Illi, Beef, and Conan, and watching them interact is delightful. They have the typical quasi-philosophical conversations about life, or nothing at all, but there is also some darkness there. Like Beef, Illi and Conan are also troubled by their identities.
Conan dreams of being a success in… anything. His older brother has always been a winner, and Conan doesn’t seem to be skilled at anything, including his job. Illi is stuck in a mostly unmentioned, but obvious quarter-life crisis. She is living with her aunt for free, not sure what the next move should be, and worrying she might be a failure. In total, the film boils down to being a piece about people unable to see a clear path to their futures. That might sound like a downer, but these concerns are usually shaped by oddball daydreams and hallucinations. It’s a dense piece of work, thematically, and upon first viewing, it maybe doesn’t seem to all come together. By the end of whichever viewing, however, by the time the credits roll, Beef does receive his much deserved catharsis, and that is enough to satisfy the audience. Besides, its hard to be upset about a little confusion, when you’re enjoying feeling as lost as the film’s hilarious characters.
