It was bound to happen eventually. The pairing of out-there director Abel Ferrara (THE ADDICTION, THE BAD LIEUTENANT) and that egotistical, yet arguably talented Vincent Gallo (he of THE BROWN BUNNY and blow-jobs) is under way. And what’s more fascinating, and perhaps of more interest to many Chlotrudis members, is the fact that our beloved Sarah Polley (pictured left with Chlotrudis President Michael Colford) looks to be involved.
Variety reports the film to be in production now in Rome with filming locations also in Jerusalem and New York. Gallo plays two roles in MARY, one as the director of a controversial film depicting the life of Christ. Care to guess what the second role might be? Sarah Polley will play the title character… bet we’re not talking the Virgin Mother here, but rather Mary Magdalene, the prostitute who became a follower of Christ. Or perhaps she’s only playing the actor who plays Mary in the film by Gallo’s character.
Gallo certainly has his fans, but I don’t count myself as one of them. His directorial debut, BUFFALO 66 did show a talented filmmaker at the helm, but his acting in Claire Denis’ TROUBLE EVERY DAY was a bit goggle-eyed and over-the-top for me. I still haven’t seen THE BROWN BUNNY, so I will reserve judgment on that particular film. Much as I hate to admit it, I can picture a strung-out, gaunt Polley on the screen next to the freakishly bizarre Gallo. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Of course before MARY, we could see Ms. Polley in quite a fascinating assortment of films. In the Canadian film SUGAR, completed this year, she plays “Pregnant Girl” in a teen romance… Bruce La Bruce style! Yes, SUGAR’s screenplay is adapted from short stories written by the maker of gay porn films. Go, Sarah, go! Also in the works is the black comedy SIBLINGS, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September; Wim Wenders‘ next film, co-written by Sam Shepard, DON’T COME KNOCKIN’; Icelandic director Sturla Gunnarsson’s BEOWULF & GRENDEL; Isabel Coixet’s follow-up to MY LIFE WITH OUT ME called THE SECRET LIFE OF WORDS; and of course, Thom Fitzgerald‘s next project, 3 NEEDLES. Good to see that after the Hollywood success of DAWN OF THE DEAD that Sarah is still sticking with her indie roots. Not that I had any doubt.