No matter what film it is, my attention is immediately drawn by the mere mention of the name “James Franco”. Then you toss in the fact the film is based on real people and real events and I’m in for long haul. Such is the case with TRUE STORY. Reminiscent of the well known relationship that developed between Truman Capote and Perry Smith during the writing of “In Cold Blood”, such is the case with TRUE STORY and the strange relationship between disgraced New York Times reporter Michael Finkel and convicted killer Christian Longo. Big difference, however, is that Perry Smith never tried to impersonate or take over the identity of Capote while Chris Longo did just that to Finkel, setting the wheels of Fate in motion for an extraordinary story. I knew of the story and it fascinated me – particularly Finkel’s gullibility and obvious insatiable need for validation of himself, to be someone other than a good investigative reporter, to be a “star” and make himself the story rather than let a story be “the story”, all at a cost of journalistic, and personal, ethics and integrity. To see everything unfold in TRUE STORY through writer/director Rupert Goold’s vision based on Finkel’s memoirs, is enthralling and unfortunately, a sad commentary on the demise of investigative reporting and journalism today.
We meet hard-hitting New York Times journalist Michael Finkel deep in the heart of Africa doing interviews with young African boys about cocoa plantation slavery in the Ivory Coast. The next moment, he is lauded colleagues and the public alike for his “hard hitting” expose of the witnessed events. Unfortunately, Finkel fabricated much of his story and misrepresented the boys and their situations, resulting in his getting booted from the New York Times.
At the same time, we meet a man in Cancun who looks nothing like reporter Mike Finkel but who introduces himself as such; that is, until he’s arrested by the authorities for extradition to the United States for as is discovered, he is in reality Chris Longo, a man wanted for the murder of his wife and three children.
So why is Longo trying to pawn himself off as Finkel? He admires him. He admires his writing. He “aspires” to be him. Or is there something else motivating Longo?
Finkel, humiliated and in hiding, is squirreled away in a cabin with his girlfriend/fiancé Jill when he learns of Longo when a local reporter contacts him for a quote about Longo stealing Finkel’s identity. Could this be the break Finkel needs to be welcomed back into the loving arms of the journalistic community? Or could it give him some insight into himself by speaking with a man who pretends to be him? Taking advantage of the situation, Finkel wrangles a prison meeting with Longo who ultimately agrees to tell Finkel his story – IF Finkel will teach him how to write.
As time marches on, a friendship develops between the two with Longo sending written missives (complete with illustrations) to Finkel and Finkel absorbing every word. But just how much is truth and how much is fiction? Playing Devil’s Advocate to Finkel’s blind faith in Longo and his ramblings, Jill starts doing her own investigation into Longo’s writings and drawings, driving a wedge between she and Finkel; a wedge that only deepens after her own visit to Longo in prison. No matter what, Finkel believes every word of what Longo has said to be truth to the point he thinks Longo is innocent. After all, who could be a killer and be so kind, so humble, so soft-spoken. And were Longo lying, Finkel knows he is such a great reporter that he would see through any lies. Or would he.
To see this story and these individuals played out by James Franco as Chris Longo and Jonah Hill as Michael Finkel is delicious – particularly when it comes to Franco. As Longo, Franco is hypnotic. The camera captures all the patented Francoisms with his eyes and head tilts, the uncomfortable quiet and calculated pauses – something Franco fans from his days on “General Hospital” know intimately – but which fuel the character and performance. You see the unspoken glee and satisfaction in his eyes or in a sly grin when he knowingly puts one over on Hill’s Finkel. It is divine. And it keeps the audience second-guessing the “truths” being delivered throughout Longo’s trial. A big surprise is that Hill plays Finkel as a somewhat egotistical buffoon, blind to what the camera sees as fact and fiction in Longo’s stories. We don’t typically see this from Hill in his dramatic films and it’s a testament to his skills as an actor. There’s an interesting tacit visual duality/split screen at play here that director Rupert Goold masterfully elicits.
Felicity Jones is so under used as Jill, but with one powerhouse scene in jail playing opposite Franco, she electrifies. You see that one scene and you KNOW why Jones is an Academy Award nominee. She commands the room.
Cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi delivers a haunting yet methodical imagery that creates a palpable emotional sense of blurring the lines of truth and fiction. His lens – and the starkness of lighting – keeps us at arms length, almost out of the fray, as if trying to give the audience the objectivity and ability to see the truth and machinations of Longo that Finkel should have seen. Longo’s flashbacks are haunting with fragmentation that grows in clarity like a lens coming into focus.
Written and directed by Rupert Goold based on Michael Finkel’s memoir, what I particularly find engaging about Goold’s approach to TRUE STORY is the lack of subtext. It’s very black and white. He hits us with straight dialogue (albeit somewhat clunky at times), much like an investigative reporter would do when delivering the facts. The very manner in which he wrote the script provides its own tacit commentary as well as dichotomous texture. Through it all, thanks to Goold’s straightforward approach and the strength of Franco and Hill, the creepy factor is undeniable which makes one wonder – who is the creepiest and most to be feared and disdained – Longo? Or someone like Finkel?
And stay for the credits. Some nice epilogue which, for those being exposed to this story for the first time, will blow your mind with a great ironic, and sad, twist.
Written and Directed by Rupert Goold based on Michael Finkel’s memoir.
Cast: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Felicity Jones
