Tape *** (2001, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Uma Thurman) – Classic Movie Review 10,711

‘Some things can’t be erased’.

Richard Linklater’s 2001 drama Tape is a digital-video film version of Stephen Belber’s stage play, with the screenplay also by Stephen Belber, in a single location and single set production. It is a challenging but intriguing and rewarding exploration of the process of memory that occurs when two high-school buddies meet some 10 years after graduation.

Aspiring film-maker Jon (Robert Sean Leonard) pays a visit to his home town of Lansing, Michigan, to present his latest work at a film festival. Volunteer fireman and drug-dealer Vince (Ethan Hawke) arrives in town at the same time and invites Jon to call on him at the local motel. Raucous hellos give way to tension and verbal sparring.

It turns out that Vince still resents the fact that Jon stole his girlfriend Amy (Uma Thurman) during their school senior year. Vince accuses Jon of having raped Amy. After Jon is goaded into admitting this, Vince confesses that he has taped their entire conversation, announces that Amy is about to arrive at the motel and is going to give her the tape to force Jon to apologise to her. When Amy, now the local DA, arrives, she denies a rape.

Tape is directed by Richard Linklater, runs 86 minutes, is made by Tape Productions Inc, Detour Filmproduction, IFC Productions, InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment) and The Independent Film Channel Productions, is released by Lions Gate and Metrodome, is written by Stephen Belber, is shot by Maryse Alberti and produced by Alexis Alexanian.

The motel room set is designed (by Stephen Beatrice) with meticulous detail and carefully constructed on a sound stage New York City.

It was made for an impressive $100,000, grossed $490,475 in the US, with a worldwide gross $515,900, making it a profit winner.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,711

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