The Inner Life of Martin Frost

The Inner Life of Martin Frost **

Directed by Paul Auster
Written by Paul Auster

Starring:
David Thewlis as Martin Frost
Irene Jacob as Claire Martin
Michael Imperioli as Jim Fortunato
Sophie Auster as Anna James

94 Minutes(Not Rated)
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Back in 2005, events that were going on my life resulted in me reading my first novel by author Paul Auster. The book was "The Book of Illusions," and I was struck by how well written it was. How smart, mysterious. The narrative was juggled through different and parallel stories. And the ending blew me away quite a bit. I've read more Auster since then, and they all end up having the same problem. They are smart and mysterious for the first two thirds, they are well written throughout, but the ending always leaves me hanging and unsatisfied. I am never pleased with the way it turns out, because it never turns out. It's like he can't think of endings, or they are just so hidden under pretentious symbols that you can't even find them. I had the same exact problem with Auster's new film "The Inner Life of Martin Frost," and intriguing little film that is quite obvious, but ends at a point where you will literally be checking to make sure the projection did not fail. I was getting amped up for the big finish, and then I realized that was the big finish.

We have the very talented David Thewlis at the center of this film, and he plays Martin Frost. Martin has just completed his first novel, and is taking a break at the country home of his two friends Jack and Diane-in the opening shot you can see a picture of Paul Auster with a woman, which leads me to believe that he is Jack, and the woman was Diane. I guess that was cheaper than hiring an actor. Frost is alone for a day, and he begins to work on a new story on an old typewriter. He goes to bed, but when he wakes up be discovers a woman in his bed. This is Claire Martin. She is shocked as well, but shows him the key that Diane gave her. They agree to live under the same roof and not get in each others way. Of course, by nightfall, they have slept together. But as the days go on, and Martin gets closer and closer to the end of his story, Claire gets sicker and sicker, and Martin begins to wonder exactly what is going on.

Auster does catch your attention as he usually does with a rather intriguing plot, but I was able to figure out Claire's mysteries quite early on, and then another plot twist later on involving a man Martin meets-played by Michael Imperioli of all people-was quite easy to see. Auster at times does get a little pretentious with the directing. He includes a quite annoying narrator that vanishes in the middle and is never heard from again. There is a quite annoying visual thing going on when he draws a picture to show the direction Martin's story is going. There is a odd thing going on with a floating typewriter. And there is a very forced anti-Bush joke, in a quite unfunny sequence involving Michael Imperioli's stories. The only thing that always seemed to work here was Thewlis, who is centered in such a messed up directing job. Auster is a must better writer than he is behind the camera, but "The Inner Life of Martin Frost" really left me hanging at the end. When the screen cut to black abruptly, I really did wonder if he just ran out of ideas, but even though it came to some sort of close, it was extremely underwhelming considering the mystery that we've been brought into. It's almost like this film was a waste of my time, the same feeling I had after reading Auster's last novel "Travels in the Scriptorium." I want to go back to the good old days of Auster-when I read "The Book of Illusions" and even "Oracle Night,' and "Timbuktu," but I've been underwhelmed with his finales of novels like "Mr. Vertigo," and sadly this film follows suit.

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