Another aspect that made this film so unusual for me was seeing a ton of actors who usually do comedy work in a serious roles (i.e. Will Sasso from Mad TV, or even Cheri Oteri from SNL). Essentially Southland Tales is about a post-apocalyptic/post-9.11 world where we are running out of natural energy sources and a scientist who develops what they refer to as a perpetual motion machine which takes waves from the ocean, gathers the energy and sends giant pulses of energy toward land, powering anything from cars to factory buildings infinitely.

So that’s one aspect of the film, second, because of the energy crisis and other political factors including a fictitious bill that was passed for heightened public security, there are essentially watch towers throughout the city where Justin Timberlake’s character (an ex-marine) will sit and monitor the city for public violence through the scopes of their guns and shoot to kill any individuals causing disturbances. This part of the film is important to understand because the overall political theme of the film is that the country is divided in two, and that the Republican party is trying to win over California and gain power so they can run the country ruthlessly (sound familiar?).

So on top of all that Dwayne Johnson’s character (yeah, that’s right, the Rock is the main character in this film) is a movie star who was abducted and drove into the desert and returns with amnesia and a screenplay that pretty much details this dystopian future in which the film takes place. I won’t bore you with the details, but essentially everyone in the film is double-crossing one another to try and enhance the chance that the Republican party will win the political race by using Dwayne Johnson’s character as blackmail. So why was he abducted into the desert? Because a giant vortex exists where if someone drives through it they go back in time and come out with a twin copy of themselves that is from 69 minutes in the future.

Doesn’t this film sound crazy? Well it is, it’s like there are 5 different films rolled into one. Not to mention the part of the movie where Justin Timberlake lip syncs to a Killers song for no apparent reason. So why did I say earlier that this film is actually kind of good? Well more than anything the film is good because even though there is all this crazy stuff happening that doesn’t really make sense until the end, you’re drawn into it, and you can’t look away (kind of like a car wreck). Also, even though I wouldn’t ever say I like most of the actors in the film, they all did well. Usually the actors in the film do cheesy roles that don’t amount to anything in the scope of Hollywood reality, but I honestly feel that all of them can really say they did a real movie, something that even though it won’t be received well, will be a testament to form of film as art.

So if you’ve got an open mind and low expectations I think you’ll at least be able to admire Richard Kelly’s attempt to make an artistically complex film. It has that uncomfortable atmosphere to it that makes you feel like you’re watching a David Lynch film, yet it has all these really popular actors so you feel that familiarity. Also, the music is quite good with lots of props to dissonant Radiohead songs and other moody aspects of the score that add to the film, rather than distract. At least watch the film for the fact that you can appreciate what’s trying to happen, rather than what it actually is.