by Frank Calvillo
Arrow Heads
Arrow Video, a subsidiary of Arrow Films, humbly describe themselves as merely a “Distributor of classic, world, cult and horror cinema on DVD & Blu-ray.” But we film geeks know them as the Britain-based bastion of the brutal and bizarre, boasting gorgeous Blu-ray releases with high quality artwork and packaging and bursting with extras (often their own productions). Their collector-friendly releases had traditionally not been available in the U.S, but now Arrow has come across the pond and this column is devoted to discussing their weird and wonderful output.
The opening of the early ’90s indie thriller Suture wonderfully sets the tone for a powerful Twilight Zone-like tale of which even Rod Serling himself certainly would have approved. Offering up a story which is equal parts neo-noir thriller and searing comment on race and identity, Suture, the feature debut from directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee, has mysteriously never been given a proper home video release until now, despite receiving mounds of acclaim from those who saw the film upon its 1993 release. Thankfully, with the film’s official Blu-ray release, Suture can finally be celebrated for the innovative indie gem that it truly is and the many questions it provokes from all who see it.
In Suture, a man named Clay Arlington (Dennis Haysbert) arrives in Arizona to meet up with his long-lost brother Vincent (Michael Harris), whom he only recently met for the first time at their father’s funeral. However, Vincent’s desire for this reunion isn’t out of love for family. Since Clay looks remarkably like Vincent, the latter decides to skip town, leaving Clay with his car as well as the bomb strapped to the bottom of it. When Clay awakens with amnesia following the explosion, it is up to a psychiatrist (Sab Shimono), a longtime friend of his father’s (Dina Merrill), and a beautiful plastic surgeon (Mel Harris) operating on Clay (for whom he also has feelings) to help him remember who he is before his brother comes back.
There’s an obvious questioning throughout the course of Suture of both identity and race in terms of how it relates to not only the film’s characters, but those watching them on the screen as well. The casting of Haysbert to play a white character was a highly-bold move, especially when asking the audience to overlook the actor’s skin color and see him as his brother’s equal. It’s clear that the directors want us to forego our conditioned views on race, realize that color doesn’t truly matter in ’90s America, and recognize the actor as an actor playing a character. The fact that Suture is filmed gloriously in black and white more than drives home a similar point. We don’t really notice the absence in color in these movies if the story is diverting, just like we don’t notice a person’s color in real life once we really get to know them. Suture in turn asks us to re-evaluate our relationship with our own identities. Do we see our color, or the people we are beneath it?
Aspects of race and identity aside, it cannot be ignored that Suture is also an incredibly potent thriller. There is so much mystery surrounding this film with one question after another popping up into the audience’s minds, such as: Why is Vincent doing this? Will Clay regain his memory? What kind of danger is he in if he does remember? The obvious comparison to a film like Suture can surely be found in the works of Alfred Hitchcock, with motifs such as the wrong man and the amateur detective on full display here. Adding to this is a great female lead, who in a way can be considered a sort of indie ’90s Hitchcockian woman for sure, as well as plenty of surrealist dream sequences which make the film even more gripping than it already is. The film’s subtext and what it says about Clay (as well as the audience) is the centerpiece of the film. However, let it never be forgotten that Suture is a thriller. And a pretty good one at that.
Such an unusual, stylized film would require a cast which would be so taken with the material, they would do it nothing but justice. Haysbert gives some of his finest work ever in the central role, brilliantly inhabiting the soul of his character and the effects of the conflicts eating away at him. Harris is strong and lovely as Clay’s love interest Renee, who sees Clay for who he really is inside before even he does. Shimono excels as one of the finest examples of a movie psychologist in history, and Merrill manages to unearth hidden layers of what would seem to be a stock character. But it’s Harris as Vincent who makes the biggest impression, personifying menace and terror in the smoothest and slickest of ways.
The highly-stylized approach to filmmaking that went into creating the world of Suture is nothing short of spectacular in terms of music, overhead shots, camera movements, and production design, all of which help the story function as the cerebral thrill ride it is. From the black and white cinematography to the brilliant camera angles, so much of Suture feels like it could have come from ’60s cinema’s heyday, especially in the setting of Vincent’s home, which is essentially a shutdown upscale clothing store. In an era where we are quick to label the most questionable of titles as “classics,” the fact that Suture doesn’t sit in higher regard for both its visuals and its ideology remains both a mystery and a travesty.
The Package
As with most Arrow releases, the special features on Suture are plentiful. Aside from filmmaker commentary and a stellar picture transfer, there’s the retrospective documentary Lacerations in which the directors talk about always been interested in movies about identity, psychology, and paranoia. The two also discuss choosing Phoenix as a location for the way it lent itself to black and white and divulge other bits of insight into the film. Haysbert talks about the challenge of making the film, which he saw as sci-fi, while Harris describes seeing it as an artistic piece and Shimono recalls using his psychologist twin brother as an inspiration for his character.
While the first of the deleted scenes on hand is a total throwaway, the remaining two are both so well-made and well-executed that even though do they nothing to further the story, they certainly reinforce some of the film’s core themes.
The most memorable special feature remains Bird’s Past, the directors’ early short film in which the two take a trip up to Bodega Bay, California, the site of the classic Hitchcock film The Birds. The film is by far one of the most interesting tributes to Hitchcock and features many different reactions and takes by ordinary California citizens on the classic film’s themes and plot.
The Lowdown
The Blu-ray release of Suture more than reinforces its undeniable power as a comment on race, identity, and dynamic independent filmmaking.
Suture is now available on Blu-ray from Arrow Films.
