As the weather turns colder and the stress of midterms grows unbearable, it's a good time to take a night off and relax in the comfort of those luxurious red seats at the local Loews. "Capote," unfortunately, would not be the best viewing for such an occasion. While intellectually gratifying and extremely entertaining, this cinematic experience might induce premature Valium indulgence.
In 1960, famed author Truman Capote (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) sets out to chronicle the effects of a family's brutal murder on a rural Kansas town. As his ambitions progress from a New Yorker article to a groundbreaking non-fiction novel (what was to become 1966's "In Cold Blood"), his superficial involvement grows deeper.
Capote's unique perspective, drawn from his experiences as a homosexual in the 1950s, draws him closer to those involved in the murder, from the detective to the victims, their friends and their murderers. Although at first conservative locals recoil from his loud blonde hair and distinctive effeminacy, ironically it is this stigma that allows him to reach those touched by the murder on a personal level. The murderers and others associated with the case are also cursed by an unshakable association parallel to that of Capote.
Two men, Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.) and Richard Hickock (Mark Pellegrino) are arrested and found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder. Capote's emotional connection torments him as he grows closer to Smith. Capote frequently visits Smith in prison where they read his diaries and compare childhoods. Whether their relationship grows to be brotherly, romantic or merely close is unclear, but the extent of their affection is evident.
Therein lies one of the most unique aspects of the film. Smith's character, though his actions are utterly heinous and unforgivable, is not automatically demonized but investigated. Capote's inner conflict of being abnormal in a forcibly normal world is projected onto the audience through the investigation.
Director Bennett Miller's artistic style focuses on the development of human interaction and its surroundings. Instead of providing a rambunctious and exciting crime film, he emphasizes effects: of landscapes, conversations, and murders. It provides the kind of intellectual experience expected from a piece of literature. Action is unnecessary if thought can be evoked through alternative methods. As the plot unfolds, the audience is introduced to the constraints of the time period and its effects on basic human interaction.
Mrs. Nell Harper Lee (Catherine Keener) is Capote's friend and research assistant on the trip, whose book "To Kill a Mockingbird" should be more than familiar to all who survived the seventh grade. As Capote's literary achievement plays out in the foreground, the audience is exposed to Lee's own success, one that is overshadowed by the male dominance of the decade.
Miller's biographical drama places a unique emphasis on character interaction and Capote's personal responses to the events that unfold before him. Biographical dramas such as "Cinderella Man" and "Good Night and Good Luck" emphasized the individual's effect on the world, while this film emphasizes the world's effect on the individual. This provides a deeper, tangible appreciation for his life and his work, as the audience becomes privy to his character and not just his uphill struggle.
Hoffman's performance provides an untainted glimpse of the real Truman Capote. Within Truman lies not a hint of the stiff butler Brandt in "The Big Lebowski" (1998) or the failed child actor Sandy Lyle from "Along Came Polly" (2004). Hoffman's subtle facial expressions and mannerisms transform him into the empathetic and passionately innovative author. Coupled with Miller's thought-provoking style and numerous other commendable performances, "Capote" provides moving insight into a literary mastermind.
While the film is not necessarily a break from the educational realm, it certainly has the potential to bring any intellectual back to Earth after an overly fun-filled Homecoming weekend.
