Ruta Wakening

 ((Comedy-drama -- Color -- 16mm))

By EMANUEL LEVY

An S.P.B. Films production. Produced, directed, written by Steve Bilich.
 
Dr. Feelgood/Cherub ... Denia Ridley
Ebb ... John Ellison
Glen ... Glen B. Svendrowski
Sinvin ... Euan MacDonald
Dee ... Nancy Reed
Angie ... Naomi Riley
Jude ... Tom Hester
Gavin ... Joey Walden
Jester ... Johnny Hardwick
Jake ... Scott Calonico
Homeless Woman ... Mary Lang
Bobby ... Martin Burke
Rick ... Lane Orsak
 

Inspired by "Slacker," though not as funny or charming, Steve Bilich's Austin-based "Ruta Wakening" is a New Age serio-comedy about a group of twentysomethings in search of meaningful relationships. Commercial prospects for this underproduced feature debut are meager, though pic should travel the regional festival circuit, serving as a sample of ultra low-budget indies.

If Bilich's technical skills matched his generosity of spirit and the likability quotient of his characters, "Ruta Wakening" would have been a decent movie. But, narratively and visually, pic is so shapeless that Bilich gives the impression of a filmmaker who can write but is severely lacking in the directorial and craft departments.

Pic was shot in downtown Austin, in and around the Cuban Ruta Maya coffee and tobacco shop, where a dozen confused and bruised characters wander around, voicing their angst. Central figure is Ebb (John Ellison), an illustrator of children's books, whose g.f. Vita has jilted him. Deeply hurt, he begins a phone relationship with Dr. Feelgood (Denia Ridley), a local radio talkshow host, and discovers, while on the air, that his best friend, Jude (Tom Hester), has betrayed him.

In a careful attempt to draw a cross-sectional portrait, pic includes a "modern" triangle. Gavin (Joey Walden), an indie director, becomes so preoccupied with his work that he neglects g.f. Angie (Naomi Riley), who in turn throws herself into an affair with best friend Dee (Nancy Reed), a lesbian. There's also a happy gay couple, Bobby and Rick (Martin Burke and Lane Orsak), who suddenly must face the cruel reality of Bobby's full-blown AIDS.

Excessively long tale meanders from one relationship to another, with "Icemen" Jester and Jake (Johnny Hardwick and Scott Calonico), who are always driving, and a philosophically irreverent homeless woman (Mary Lang) providing the ineffective glue for the large number of disparate subplots.

Tech credits of what appears to be a shoestring-budgeter are on the raw side.

Camera (color 16mm), Phil Curry; production design, Jeff Transki; sound, Dennis Meehan; assistant director, Bobby Bastarache. Reviewed at South by Southwest Film Festival, Austin, Texas, March 8, 1996. (Also in Slamdance Film Festival.) Running time: 102 min.