review and additional coverage
I'm surprised that this is the first post regarding this movie considering it's relatively high rating so far on IMDB (~7 out of 10). It was Jeannine Kaspar's performance as “Sam” in PAPER COVERS ROCK, which I caught at SXSW earlier this year, that turned me on to the actress and ultimately made me a fan of her and the film. Her portrayal of a severely depressed, suicidal mother of a young girl starts a bit slowly, but the story packs a wallop of heartbreak.
The first time we meet Sam, she is discovered by her young daughter in bed with a plastic bag over her head. After this suicide attempt, Sam is committed and her daughter sent to live with Sam's estranged ex-husband. Upon Sam's release, her well-meaning but smothering sister, Ed, takes her in, and we start to see how damaged Sam truly is. While I can't say I know how the character of Sam probably felt, I can say I empathize with her, having dealt with depression for much of my own life.
Two of the biggest emotional weapons of depression are guilt and fear, and Sam's primary relationships explore these emotions in-depth. Ed seems to be unable to say anything remotely comforting to her younger sister, and everything she does only amplifies the guilt Sam feels for trying to commit suicide and effectively abandoning her daughter. Fearful that she won't be allowed to reunite with her daughter, and unable to connect with her sister, Sam reaches outside the family for any signs of love she can find. When a co-worker asks her out, she is elated and hopeful, only to be let down later. And at risk of giving away the rest of the story, I'll say that one can guess, based on her actions, how successful Sam is in winning custody of her daughter back.
What impressed me most about this movie was its spirit, in that unlike most movies of this ilk, it remains a tragedy at heart. Sam is suicidal. That much is certain. And Jeannine Kaspar does a tremendous job expressing the depths of depression, both physical and mental; this stunningly beautiful woman comes across as a regular, everyday Jane, with problems that many people face every day. Her eyes contain all the hurt and hope one can imagine, which can't be easy considering what Miss Kaspar must've been going through herself in playing this character. Despite all the things both she and others have done to make life an unbearable prison, Sam still has hope. Yet she's conflicted, and one worries when Sam begins collecting saran food wrapping and hiding it from her sister: are the pieces just keepsakes meant to remind Sam that her sister truly loves her, or are they a hint of something sinister yet to come?
Even in the final harrowing images, it's hard to know whether Sam still has hope or if she has given up. This is the tragedy of the film, that you ultimately don't know whether Sam will, or even can, ever get better. Miss Kaspar makes you fall for Sam, despite the character's faults, and you want nothing more than to see everything work out for this tortured woman, but much like life (and unlike most Hollywood movies) there's no guarantee of a happy ending. And ultimately, the film's style and its actors' performances have you feeling the way Sam feels, yearning for a better life amid being dragged down by sadness and monotony, struggling against the morass that is everyday existence for a depressive.
I don't know if I've painted a clear picture of what I loved about this movie (and Jeannine Kaspar's performance, especially), but I won't pretend that my words could do justice to this or any movie. That's one reason why movies exist. If they could be summed up with a few words, we wouldn't need them. So I highly recommend watching this film once it's released, either in theaters or on DVD (I'm hoping it gets a wide release). It may feel slow, but watch it all the way through, if for no other reasons than to witness the great acting and to perhaps better comprehend the complexities and pain of depression. It never hurts to have a better understanding of the people with whom you share this world.
Additional coverage:
1. SXSW 2008: Paper Covers Rock | SpoutBlog
http://blog.spout.com/2008/03/13/sxsw-2008-paper-covers-rock/
2. indieWIRE: SXSW '08 INTERVIEW | "Paper Covers Rock" Director Joe Maggio
http://www.indiewire.com/people/2008/03/sxsw_08_intervi_3.html
3. eFilmCritic - SXSW '08 Interview: "Paper Covers Rock" Director Joe Maggio
http://efilmcritic.com/feature.php?feature=2384
4. “Paper Covers Rock” Variety review
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938816.html?categoryid=31&cs=1 &query=paper+covers+rock
5. “Paper Covers Rock” Filmmaker Magazine review (see bottom)
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/blog/2008/03/females-lead-at-sxsw.php