LFF 2020: Bloody Nose, Empty Pocket
lff 2020Presented as a documentary focussed on the final day of a small bar in Vegas, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets blurs the line between fact and fiction and presents a wonderfully human story that lands even harder in the context of 2020.
Displaying the final day of an American dive bar that is hours away from permanent closure, regulars pour in throughout the day to partake in bittersweet celebrations ranging from sing songs, heart to hearts and in some cases heated arguments. Despite being filmed in this docu-style, the narrative beats within Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets are for the most part entirely fictitious. The colourful cast of characters on both sides of the bar are very real people, yet the entire situation they exist in is entirely fabricated by the filmmakers, the bar itself is still open to this day and it would seem that these people may have never met outside of the film.
At first this can be incredibly jarring and often difficult to get a solid grasp on, as the film never really makes the fact or fiction aspects known to the viewer, with the majority of the film feeling so raw due to the style in which it is presented. Yet there does come a moment in which for most it will seem obvious the filmmakers have intervened in some regard, certain shots and very minor narrative beats quite distinctly disassociate themselves from the style. An example being the often-recurring visit to one of the staff members children lingering outside with friends, in the hope that they may be able to secure some easy booze before the celebrations end.
While these elements may seem to detract from the realness of it all, it becomes increasingly clear that Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets despite being in the factual style is not aiming to present a documented event in the most obvious sense, rather it seeks to display human interaction and relationships at one of most emotion heavy locales, a bar filled with intoxicated patrons. The filmmaker’s decision to construct a world that allows these contrasting cast of people to exist within allows for some wonderful moments, imagine Cheers if Richard Linklater took the helm.
That is not to say the visual elements brought on by the style of ever feel too formative. The fly on the wall perspective allows the camera to feel entirely natural in the surroundings, roaming from end to end of the bar without ever becoming redundant despite the one setting. Outside of the bar, there is plenty of flair between scenes with stylish transitions to ensure that the day does naturally reach an end, otherwise one might linger on these people for far too long. No conversation ever runs dry, no argument reaches an unbelievable point, and thankfully some of the more drunken antics do not become overbearing at any point.
In a year in which so many have been dragged away from the everyday human interaction that defines who we are, Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets is the best kind of cinematic escapism. What directors Bill and Turner Ross have created is an ambitious and compassionate film that will leave you wishing the bar would just allow for one more drink before last orders.
