Focus

I got a chance over the weekend to watch Focus, finally. I’ve had the thing for almost a month now, and that isn’t the best way to optimize your Netflix utilization.

I stuck this in my queue about a year ago, and I don’t really recall why I did. It stars William H. Macy, which is always a plus, and Michael Lee Aday (better known as Meat Loaf), who compels me with a strange fascination. Other than that, I didn’t know much about the movie.

I hate reviews that offer a summary of the plot in lieu of a proper review. I don’t read reviews to experience the Cliff Notes…I am perfectly capable of witnessing the story unfold on the screen. What I’m looking for is an evaluation of the craft, the ‘art’ of the film itself. Does it speak? Does it execute well? Are the performances notable?

I’ll get to all of that, but I feel I have to offer a bit of the review I don’t like to write, simply to establish some context to my reaction.

Focus is about anti-semitism. William Macy’s character, Lawrence Newman, is a mild, introverted cog in a 1943 corporation. He works as a personnel manager, conducting interviews in his bow tie and pinstripe vest, then walking home to his middle class rowhouse, greeting each neighbor in turn in a bit of a Norman Rockwell atmosphere. Larry needs glasses, and when he finally gets a pair, he begins to see things clearly, in many ways.

The glasses are a good mechanism, even it might seem obvious to us today (the book was written in 1945). Through these metaphorical lenses, he begins to witness things that have been going on his whole life, but scarcely noted.

All because the glasses make Larry ‘look Jewish’.

And his friendship with the Jewish magazine stand owner on the corner doesn’t help his standing with his friends.

In quick succession, Larry is moved out of his work position because the management doesn’t want to ‘give the wrong impression’ by having it seem they employ a Jew. Larry resigns rather than accept the demotion – not because he is offended that a company would treat Jews that way, but rather out of indignation that he would lose his job and ISN’T a Jew.

Larry then bounces around on the job hunt, encountering the common perception that he is a Jew, merely by his appearance. Want ads actually state ‘Christians Only’ in the fine print. The more Larry protests, the more he is labeled as a Jew.

Meanwhile, his neighbor (Meat Loaf) is assembling a goon squad to police the neighborhood and run the magazine stand owner out, before he brings in even more Jews. Larry ends up caught in the crossfire.
In essence, that is the film. Now for the actual review…

I’m not naïve. I am aware of anti-Semitism in the Middle East, or in Germany during the war (and calling that anti-Semitism is a bit like calling a raging forest fire an ‘anti-forest event’). I know anti-Semitism still happens.

I just can’t fathom it.

Growing up, the only racism in my world was of the usual black/white variety. When I witnessed any interaction between those two groups, any racist tendencies were pretty obvious and identifiable when it happened. The visual differences between the two groups made this kind of thing obvious.

I had a classmate in high school. He had few friends, mostly because he refused to interact with most people. He seemed constantly on edge and defensive. He kept to himself. We were both in the marching band, and each summer, during our week-long band camp on Kelly’s Island on Lake Eerie, he would have to leave the camp on Friday, not returning until Sunday. I never understood this, other than being told it was for religious reasons. I guess I am naïve, because I didn’t know a thing about being Jewish. As a matter of fact, I never figured that out until after graduation. And even then, I didn’t understand his mannerism and defensiveness. Being Jewish was just like being a Lutheran, or whatever. It simply doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t understand why it matters to anyone.

Watching Focus, I thought about my classmate. I wondered about the problems he might have encountered – things that would have baffled me had I witnessed them. Watching these people making such a big deal out of being Jewish, when they couldn’t even identify a Jew on sight….it made no sense to me, as much as racism can make sense in general. It is maddening.

Larry, in the movie, travels a fascinating path. At first, his outrage is not over anti-Semitism. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with the way Jews are treated, he’s just upset that people think HE is a Jew. Later, things begin to evolve and he begins to identify more and more with the plight of the Jews. He slowly transforms from a man just wanting to get into the proper bin of identity, to a man who doesn’t understand the bin system, and finally to a man who accepts being in the unpopular bin and making the fight his own.

This character arc is well worth the time invested in the movie. The final scene is remarkable for its simplicity and power. Larry and his new wife, Gertrude (Laura Dern), after being attacked by a bunch of anti-Jew thugs, stand before a police desk and give a report of the crime. After giving his address, the police asks how many of ‘you people’ live on that street. Larry begins to correct the officer, then stops. He identifies the Jewish magazine stand owner and then himself. The long shot of Larry and Gertrude’s expressions as the cop gathers the proper forms is powerful. Together, they accept being Jewish and commit themselves to what that means.

Looking at them before the desk, I thought of two images that seemed to fit the scene. On one hand, it looked like a couple of immigrants being processed in Ellis Island. They were accepting new identities and a new world. On the other hand, it looked like a couple of soldiers being enlisted and sworn in. They were accepting their place in the battle, and making the conflict their own from that point on. It was a simple, powerful way to close the film.

Some lesser remarks – the film was so vibrant in color. I’m used to the black and white reels of the era. It was refreshing to see everything so brightly colored.

And Meat Loaf. I’ve seen him in small parts in several films. Here, he is rather remarkable as an actor. He shares most of his scenes with Macey, and he holds his own. His character, Fred, projects a quiet menace tempered with an uneasy friendliness. He never commits a violent act throughout the film, but you just know the man is capable of the darkest acts, while at the same time thinking he is serving his community by keeping the undesirables out.

Focus is recommended. It has great performances, nice visuals, a complete character arc, and engages the viewer to think.  You don’t get that too often in a typical film made today.