One Dog Day

Repeatedly, a young painter stares at the big white canvas in front of him. He is looking directly into the camera and therefore into the eyes of the audience. This creates a situation ripe with symbolism, as he is not only fighting with the empty canvas, but also with the expectations we might have of him. At some point, he splashes a large line on the white canvas. An act of release. The painter’s sudden outburst is liberating. It does not matter if this first line is the beginning of a great work of art or if he will cover it with white paint in the end. It is only the act of creation that is important. And that’s what John Hyams’ fully independently financed feature debut is all about. For one day Hyams follows artists and killers, con-artists and brokers, fanatics and melancholics on their paths through the street of New York. Some scenes are reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino, others of absurd stage plays. What they all have in common is their irrepressible energy and the endless freedom that this kind of guerrilla filmmaking encompasses...