As I lay dying - DVD

Content: The Bundren family lives a simple, deprived life on a small piece of land in Mississippi. When mother Addie (Beth Grant) dies after a serious illness, father Anse (Tim Blake Nelson) wants to grant her her last wish and bury her body in her old hometown of Jefferson. Together with his children Cash (Jim Parrack), Darl (James Franco), Jewel (Logan Marshall-Greene), Dewey Dell (Ahna O`Reilly) and Vardaman (Brandy Permenter), Anse sets out on the 40-mile journey, which becomes a dangerous and punishing journey, not only because of the crossing of raging rivers - a journey that puts family cohesion to the test...

Whether as an actor, writer, visual artist or producer, James Franco is always on the lookout for new challenges. He has now taken on one such with As I Lay Dying. As director, screenwriter, actor and producer in personal union Franco has dared to adapt the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. Published in 1930, the book is one of the great works of American literary history, but was not necessarily considered ideal material for a film adaptation, not least because of its dramaturgical heaviness. Franco dared to do it anyway. Often changing narrative perspectives, clarified by frequent off-commentary or direct speech of the characters into the camera are just as unusual as the very excessive use of split screen. As a viewer, you have to get used to this.

If you do, it quickly becomes clear that the split screen sequences in particular are excellently composed. Anyway, the drama has a very strong visual language, which proves to be a rousing counterweight to the rather bulky staged dramaturgy. Death, rape, injuries and contempt are omnipresent in the story. One looks for loosening moments here in vain. Like the book, the film is also damn heavy fare, which is reinforced by Franco's very artful, but also just needing to get used to. As I lay dying is therefore not a film where you can relax, not a film that offers entertainment in the classic sense.

Much more, the viewer is challenged in many ways. Not only does the very dialogue-driven action demand one's full attention, but the family drama is not without emotional impact. Franco deliberately refuses to go mainstream in order to do justice to the importance of the novel as much as possible. He succeeds only to a limited extent, but is in any case extremely commendable. If you appreciate challenging literary adaptations and heavy arthouse fare from America, you should definitely give James Franco's latest directorial effort a chance. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The DVD's image is very sharp and impresses with decent contrasts and a very earthy, warm color scheme. The audio is in a very quiet Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that is primarily dominated by the narrative voices, dialogue and subtly used sound effects. This is not really spectacular, but the atmosphere of the story is captured quite well by the audio-visual realization!

Extras: As a bonus, the DVD has, in addition to some program tips, a brief look behind the scenes (approx. 3:36 min.), interesting interviews with James Franco (approx. 22:02 min.), as well as some uncommented, partly only seconds long B-Roll clips (approx. 9:31 min.) to offer. Especially the interviews are well worth a look!

Conclusion: Multitalented James Franco has ventured for his latest directorial work to a rather unwieldy piece of American literary history. Directing, writing and starring in personal union, Franco has turned the film adaptation of William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying into a very haunting piece of arthouse cinema with a fascinating visual language and great actors. It's not necessarily mainstream-worthy, but if you're willing to take a chance on this very unique literary adaptation, you'll be rewarded with a fascinating Southern drama presented on DVD in adequate picture and sound quality. In addition, there is an interesting interview with James Franco and other extras to see. For lovers of cinematic challenges quite recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp