Occasionally this reviewer gets to see works-in-progress long before their public premiere. The Hallway, by Walter A. Lutz, Jr. ("Saved By the Bell: The New Class") is one such project. Currently in post-production, The Hallway is a gritty, harrowing account of one young man's experience with rape, degradation, and -- perhaps -- a fantasy fulfilled.
Written, directed and starring Lutz, The Hallway was shot with a single camera in a fixed position in a single take -- a daring methodology which emphasizes the stark reality of what the young man experiences, and which creates a chilling, voyeuristic impression for the audience, which sees the action takes place from a single viewpoint: through the young man's open bedroom doorway at the end of the titular Hallway, which becomes both tunnel and telescope for the viewers.
Lutz's video is a daring experiment, and this reviewer looks forward to seeing the finished product, which promises to herald the arrival of a bold new talent on the independent scene.
Oy, can this reviewer call 'em or what? The Hallway has been picked up by The 9th Annual Toronto Inside Out Film Festival for what will (as of this date) be its world premiere.
The Festival runs from 20 May 1999 to 30 May 1999, and The Hallway was chosen for a prestigious Friday night "Caught Looking" screening on May 28th.
Shane Smith, Program Coordinator for the Toronto Festival, has described The Hallway as "Riveting." One can't get much better than that!
For more on The Hallway, click here for its Official web site. Jaundiced advisory: a tiny bit of PG-13 level partial nudity in a promotional still for the video, otherwise it's a darned interesting account of just how far one up-and-coming young photographer-videographer can go. (Walter A. Lutz, Jr.'s photos, by the way, sell for good money at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles.)