Review: BAD BATCH

Imagine if Ingmar Bergman had directed a stoner comedy written by Richard Linklater, a la SLACKER. Now, if you can wrap your head around that notion, you have an idea of what to expect from BAD BATCH. In all honesty, I’m not going to sit here and suggest this is a film on the same caliber as any of Bergman’s or Linklater’s films, but considering this is the debut feature film from writer/director/producer Abe Schwartz, made on what can best be described as a modestly micro-budget, BAD BATCH is actually an interesting film.

BAD BATCH is a story about three strangers who meet on Facebook and decide to get together to enjoy some pot brownies. The film begins with Hannah (played by actress and stand-up comedian Jessica Watkins) scoring some “Purple Erkle” marijuana from her dealer Isaac, played by Abe Schwartz, who also happens to be a young rabbi in training. Hannah returns home to make the pot brownies before Lavar (played by actor Lionel Sam) and Jenkins (played by actor J.R. Lemon) arrive to share in the chocolaty weed-consuming slacker three-way.

One of the first things you realize watching BAD BATCH is that its not your typical Kevin Smith, laugh-out-loud style of crude, rip-roaring comedy, filled with trash talk and foul language. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Schwartz’s film is much more of a dry, dark comedy — and just as much a drama and psychological thriller that centers around the effects of having a really bad trip — than it is a comedic telling of the experience, but humor does play its role. I would even venture to say BAD BATCH deserves a second viewing, simply on the hunch that there’s more subtle humor than is consciously apparent in the initial viewing. There are moments in the dialogue when the humor is rapidly delivered with sharp exchange and Schwartz doesn’t dwell on the moment, almost in an effort to catch the viewer off guard. There are also numerous sight gags that linger within his frames, such as a box of whole-wheat matzah sitting in the dash of the rear window of Isaac’s car.

A key stylistic element in BAD BATCH is the use of narrative voice overs, depicting the characters’ thoughts, both before and during their highs, which increase exponentially over time and eventually reach a def con level that can only be described as… Oh shit, I am thoroughly f*cked up! I don’t want to spoil anything in the film, so I’ll just tell you that these pot brownies do not produce the intended high sought after by these three college students. This use of voice-overs to take the viewer inside the characters’ heads can be a bit tricky to get used to at first, but once the trend is developed and their purpose is fully grasped, it becomes an integral part of how Schwartz tells his story.

Innocent fun becomes wandering philosophy becomes uninhibited regrets becomes paranoia in this journey through the minds of three youthful users of recreational drugs, riding the mellow bus to the very end. Schwartz approaches BAD BATCH in a similarly mellow fashion, shot in black and white, utilizing mostly static yet intricately composed shots to match the relatively quiet and often motionless characters, dominated by the voices in their heads. The music however, plays a significant mood-setting role in BAD BATCH. The original score by Dan Lopez as well as hip-hop beats from M.E.R.L. and songs by Wyatt Keusch from the album object-relations create a mellow, modern and trip-inducing audio atmosphere.

While BAD BATCH may look something like Kevin Smith’s CLERKS at first, it is quick to show its a much different breed of contemporary counter-culture filmmaking. Combining the realism of cinéma vérité with an ultra-aware sense of camera placement and shot structure to convey visual story, BAD BATCH is an engaging dramatic story with wink-nudge humor and a solid first feature outing from Abe Schwartz.

Check out potbrownies.net for more information about BAD BATCH and learn how you can download and own a copy of the movie beginning April 20, 2010.