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| Left to right: Jim Parrack and James Franco |
There is a certain astigmatism that comes with reading a William Faulkner novel. Even if the stories are blunt and obvious, the real skill lies in the literary plot devices. He is very much a writer's writer as he manages to make stories from multiple perspectives come to life while also revealing subtle psychological struggles among his characters in ways that don't translate to film. That is why when James Franco decided to tackle his most popular book, "As I Lay Dying," it did raise the question not so much on why, but how he was going to pull it off. The multi-hyphenated talent has done some ambitious work in the past, but tackling Faulkner may have been one of his boldest, or at least most selfish.
It isn't that Faulkner's work is complicated in ways that makes other stories unfilmable. It is just way too internal and complicated in ways that just doesn't translate to screen. Thoughts and the occasional glance of humor works on the page because of cadence and rhythm that one would be imagined could only be brought to the screen like a Terrence Malick movie. On the bright side, Franco's ambitions weren't wasted and even if it isn't always successful, he at least adapts the story with an impressive amount of faithfulness.
The story of the Bundren family and the deceased mother (Beth Grant) is one that may seem simple, but tells the story of how a family fell apart. It helps that on a character level, almost every performer feels fit for their role. While all playing varying degrees of familiar southern characters, with mush mouthed Tim Blake Nelson being the most distinct, they feel sincere. Every character's chemistry clicks and while there is consistent feuds, they play out slowly and never interfere with the tone or tension of the film.
The most noble aspect of the film is how Franco decided to handle the multiple narrations. Instead of presenting a flat, voice-over landscape, he creates an almost documentary style. In between scenes of plot, characters address the camera directly their inner thoughts, ranging from the mother being a fish to the dead woman expressing her darkest secrets. While it works better on the page, the format doesn't interfere too much with the pacing and instead creates an impressive balance of introspection and external action going.
If there is only thing that is problematic, it is the split screen. While it is meant to show multiple perspectives at the same time, they are sometimes lacking this quality. A lot of scenes reflect the same shot from different angles and often not really contributing much to the actual story. It feels distracting and a disappointing feature, notably because it fails to use it properly most of the time. When it is used right, the film benefits. But those moments are few and far between that the one thing to be thankful for is that it wasn't entirely shot that way.
Franco is not a visually significant director. While he makes some questionable choices with the split screen and documentary techniques, he does succeed on a narrative front. His adaptation may at times be slow and not quite as fun as Faulkner's novel, but he tells the story for the most part with an accurate attention to detail. Each character has their own progression and not a single plot beat feels ignored. While the first half seems to rush through the more dramatic moments of the mother's death, it quickly becomes a look at a family affair, and one that is intriguing beyond the surface level.
With an impressive cast and decent direction, As I Lay Dying may not be the best adaptation it could be, but Franco's keen eye for adapting literature properly is something to be applauded. His ambitions rarely overpower the source material and the performances manage to bring the characters to life in intriguing ways. With plenty of chemistry, it manages to make up for the story's lack of cinematic appeal. While Faulkner's words shine on the page, his stories are often too somber to make for appealing movies. On the bright side, Franco found a way to make at very least an enjoyable, faithful version that fans of the book will appreciate. It may not appeal to many beyond that, but it does prove that Franco's admiration for literature is not misconstrued. He is passionate and takes chances that work more than fail. That alone makes him one of the best artists around.
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