Chad Hartigan – ‘This Is Martin Bonner’
The ability to capture something that feels entirely realistic on film is certainly an impressive one, but this humble indie drama might be a little too realistic. This is Martin Bonner features a very clean-cut directorial style that mimics Danish filmmaking with deep hints of naturalism.
This is Martin Bonner, directed and written by Chad Hartigan, was premiered in February at Sundance Film Festival with a very minimal cinematic release. In its simplest definition, This is Martin Bonner is a ‘life’ film. A drama of sorts aiming to depict the regular occurrences of a mundane existence whilst staying away from the clichéd and hackneyed realm of high melodrama.
Martin Bonner is a man in his winter years who relocates to the East Coast, to Nevada, for a new job whilst leaving his old life behind. His new work involves him being a guidance officer for ex-cons who are trying to integrate themselves back into society. Martin struggles to adjust to his new surroundings and finds himself frequently missing his kids. He soon meets Travis, who, recently released from prison, also struggles with his new surroundings. As time passes by, Martin’s contractual obligation to help Travis blooms into an unlikely friendship as they begin to realise how much they have in common. Their friendship is tested, however, as Travis attempts to reconnect with his long-forgotten daughter, Diana.
As you’d expect from an indie film, it’s much more a character study than following a linear storyline structure. Within that lies my primary criticism for This Is Martin Bonner; it doesn’t develop its characters enough for us to empathise with their situation. Paul Eenhoorn pulls off the eponymous character of Martin with a refreshing sagey kind of wisdom, but the script doesn’t allow us to truly understand the character other than what’s on the surface. Richmond Arquette as Travis Holloway was an amateurish performance, with Travis seemingly like a gormless, blank slate of a man in comparison to his counterpart. The script is probably just a little undeveloped as the characterisation doesn’t quite leap off the screen, bar from a few poignant scenes.
That aside, the minimalist style of This is Martin Bonner is quite refreshing. When you have a story localised around two characters that are lonely, the cinematography becomes quite important. In many scenes, we see the world buzz around Travis and Martin, with them seemingly left in the dust. One of the film’s messages is that it can be hard to adapt to a different social climate or location. A good example of this is when Martin is standing alone against the clinical white of the art museum or the traffic zooming past the road as Travis stands looking on. It’s very sombre and subtle and certainly rewards an attentive eye.
The main idea behind the story of the film is that people have more in common than you might think. In any situation, two unlikely people may be capable of emphasising one another. It both works and doesn’t work to varying degrees. It works in that we see them bond out of a mutual outlandish quality in this world that’s new for both of them. As the narrative wound down to the inevitable feel-good moment during its finale, I didn’t think it quite gelled together. I didn’t quite get that feel-good emotional feeling that this happy catharsis was seemingly supposed to bring.
Overall, the narrative of This is Martin Bonner is incredibly basic. As I said, it’s a character study, but the film’s characters are hard to relate or identify with just because they’re so underdeveloped. I couldn’t say I was highly entertained or emotionally invested at any point. That being said, Chad Hartigan’s clean and naturalistic style of directing is impressive and does bare some entertainment value. For the more artistically and cinematically inclined, I’d suggest it; if you’re looking for a warm-hearted indie blockbuster of the year, perhaps not.
Sam Thorne
