Groove

Being a film about the San Francisco rave scene, a city into which I've recently moved, I had to see it. Sure, it took me a while to get around to it, but I finally caught it on the last showing of it in the city. I've actually never been to a rave there, or any rave for that matter, but it didn't diminish my hopes for the film. I had heard good things from everyone that had seen it. It features my new favorite style of music, and has a completely no-name cast. You don't typically see these two traits in a mainstream film. They're two of the main reasons I see independent films.

Groove is a briskly moving 88 minute tale about one particular party in a San Francisco warehouse in the abandoned building part of town. The film deftly toys with the secretive nature of the rave, registering humor in several group's attempts to find out the location. It plays with the notion that the people giving directions always have one wrong turn on the map, and unless you have the connection you'll end up in the middle of nowhere. It was refreshing to see things that I had heard about, but had yet experienced.

The film is the story of several groups of people. One is at a rave for the first time and does his first drug. While there he meets a captivating rave-regular and takes a liking to her. Second and third is a couple on the verge of taking their relationship to the next level when in a drug-induced euphoria, one of them screws up and endangers all that they've become. These are the major plot pieces, but there are others, including a gay male couple trying to relive the first time they met but, as expected, they encounter some problems along the way.

The stories are weaved skillfully together, the script never ceases for one instant. The acting (as in most modestly budgeted independent flicks) isn't that good, but the audience doesn't care. The film is shot with a hypnotic, thumping beauty. The soundtrack, containing multiple tracks from several well known electronic artists, has the audience thumping their feet in time with the action.

Whenever the film concentrates on the dancing at the rave it succeeds most thoroughly. The brilliant lighting and effects are vividly caught on camera. Like all films involving drug use, quick cutting, unique lighting effects and speed alterations of the film are used to bring us into their world.

The film is primarily a feel-good piece of work and I left the theater fully satisfied. The ending, while somewhat overblown, ties up all the loose ends that were established during the running time and turns it into an immensely enjoyable viewing experience.

On a scale of 1 to 10 pollywogs : 7