In the family of American independent filmmakers that claim their singularity, with no compromises and accountability to no one, Alex Ross Perry is undoubtedly one of the most talented and underestimated heir of the Nouvelle Vague.
To film a 16mm movie with total freedom and minimal budget is not something anyone can do, but the 32 year-old director has this ability to reinvent the same story and characters equally unpredictable, neurotic and delicate which makes them both appealing and repulsive at once.
Alex Ross Perry surrounds himself of a cinematic family that shares his taste for the absurd, cynicism, burlesque and black humor. His feat comes less from his ability to gather loyal actors (Jason Schwartzman, Elisabeth Moss, Kate Lyn Sheil, Riley O’Bryan, Keith Poulson) than from his unrestrained writing which probes the soul of his characters with a distinctive empathy.
Written, produced and directed by himself, Impolex, his first feature, is a wandering dream, freely inspired by the Thomas Pynchon’s short story Gravity’s Rainbow, which has allowed him to leave his mark on American independent cinema. His collaboration with his cinematographer, Sean Price Williams (which he shares at times with Josh & Benny Safdie for films such as Heaven Knows What and Good Times) allows him to shoot on film which, contrary to common belief, is an actual a budget saving. His editor, Robert Greene (director of Kate Plays Christine screened at the 2016 Champs-Élysées Film Festival) is an ideal partner to give shape to his ideas. Lastly, Alex Ross Perry have his appointed composer, Keegan DeWitt, since Listen Up Philip and Queen of Earth.
Along with Joe Swanberg, David Lowery and Joshua Blum who share the same beliefs, aspirations and desire for the contemporary American cinema, Alex Ross Perry is part of this generation of directors who doesn’t necessarily want make blockbusters, but rather reflect on the need to tell stories with assumed and cynical characters, something atypical in the American cinema landscape.