By: debbie lynn elias
A film that cast its spell over the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this year, and one of my top “Must See Festival Films” picks, was Sebastian Silva’s CRYSTAL FAIRY AND THE MAGICAL CACTUS AND 2012 which now flies into theatres across the country. Any film that has dialogue within the first few moments of the opening scene that describes “Chilean cocaine as not really that good” sets itself up as an immediate attention grabber with a sensibility of subject matter that harkens to the hippie generation of the 1960’s. Starring Gaby Hoffmann and Michael Cera, at first blush, CRYSTAL FAIRY, with its filmic grain and texture, is the visual epitome of what an indie film of the 70’s and 80’s is and was. There is a visual depth and texture that carries the story from the page and performance, making it a sensory experience. And with the CRYSTAL FAIRY, so much of the film is about the senses – the core of Michael Cera’s character, Jamie, and his quest for the San Pedro cactus and the anticipated hallucinogenic experience is completely sensory….as is the Chilean cocaine, weed, etc. which are essential parts of the film. But beyond the sensory experience lies a story about acceptance and compassion.
Jamie is the type of American traveler in a foreign land that gives Americans a bad name. Boorish, insensitive, egomaniacal why anyone even speaks to him is beyond me. Traveling in Chile, Jamie has heard of the hallucinogenic San Pedro cactus and together with a Chilean acquaintance and his two brothers, is determined to embark on a spiritual journey to find the San Pedro cactus and brew up its magical elixir, drinking it on a beach at sunrise and let the auras flow where they may. But before they can even start the road trip, Jamie meets a free-spirited hippieish woman named Crystal Fairy at an alcohol and drug fueled bash. Off-handedly inviting her along on the trip, Crystal Fairy agrees to come along much to Jamie’s chagrin. Instantly regretting his invitation, Jamie and his male friends take off the next day but at their first stop who do they find awaiting them? Crystal Fairy, who is being attacked by a band of gypsies in a town square. (Side Note: These were real gypsies who ultimately forced the cast and crew into hiding in a van after demanding more money for appearing in the film and director Silva would not accommodate. The attack on Hoffmann as Crystal Fairy is real and part of the story with her hair being pulled and body being pummeled.) Although Jamie wants to keep going and leave Crystal Fairy to her own devices, his friend Champa, who just happens to own the van they are driving, insists she be allowed to come along.
As Jamie and Crystal Fairy battle at every turn with Crystal Fairy’s freewheeling, chakra fueled lifestyle going against the grain of Jamie’s OCDC single-minded plan, tables turn, alliances and allegiances shift among the travelers and truths and adventure abound.
CRYSTAL FAIRY rises and falls on Gaby Hoffmann and I for one am more than thrilled to see her returning to the big screen with a career resurgence. With a more than earthy vibe going on, the chakra, magic morning moves, chanting, aural healing, etc., demands for an earthy physical appearance and costuming of Hoffmann, much of which she personally assisted in selecting. (Gotta say – love the Hindu bells and beads as necklaces and bracelets. Fits the whole 60″s psychedelic drug culture vibe perfectly.) Hoffmann brings a free-flowing persona and attitude to the character but also layers emotional nuance boding fear and secrets. She excels with conveying the fear of the onslaught of groping, grabbing and yelling. You know something is hidden under the surface that is behind such a fearful emotional response that her calming exterior vibe belies. Hoffmann is emotionally immersive as Crystal Fairy’s past unfolds, demanding the audience’s rapt attention at the dynamic of her performance. In describing Crystal Fairy, Hoffmann notes, “She is definitely troubled and running away from a very traumatic experience and her past and herself. She’s literally developed a new identity. It’s seemingly easy-going and free-spirited and happy, but obviously it’s covering up a very dark and wounded person. I thought a lot about that but you leave that at the door . . .I didn’t really have to think about it much when I was working until it came to the point where SHE has to think about it, where SHE confronts it and talks about it. We’re all sort of ****ed up and sad and scared and burdened by our past and issues, but hopefully, not to that extent for all of us but any character has all that “stuff” to some degree.”
Quite at ease with stripping down to the buff in the film, Hoffmann casually notes “Being naked for me is not a big deal. . . taking my clothes off is not hard for me to do at all.” The challenge of playing CRYSTAL FAIRY came with “developing a character improvisationally that was seemingly very simple but actually a complex character.”
Freely admitting to “not even know[ing] how to improv” and simply work off Silva’s outline and descriptive requests in getting inside the character, it was still nothing more than a case of blind faith in Sebastian Silva and a three minute phone call to get Hoffmann on board as CRYSTAL FAIRY. “ I had worked with him the year before and I had been a huge fan of his, so we’ve become really good friends. He just called and said, ‘Michael and I are down here and we’re waiting for money for “Magic Magic”. You wanna come make a movie where you play this girl I met 10 years ago and we go to the desert and take drugs?’ I was like, give me the parachute. I’ll jump out of the plane. I didn’t really need to know more than I was going to make a movie with Sebastian. Then I got down there and we talked about the character and it felt more and more exciting. I had no idea what I was gonna do or how I was gonna do it. And then we did it. . .It was very easy. We spent a week all hanging out and talking about it and then once the cameras turned on, it just felt like a natural transition into that world.”
Cera’s Jamie is beyond annoying and not likeable at all, exuding a despicable, spiteful, arrogant and condescending air to everyone around him. But the character’s persona serves a purpose as it brings the three Silva brothers – Juan Andres, Jose Miguel and Augustin – who co-star as the traveling companions to Jamie and Crystal Fairy, to the forefront, showcasing their character development going from shy and quiet to more communicative and engaging while visually expressing friendship and understanding as an example to Jamie. Watching the three brothers is one the magical highlights of the film. Jamie’s attitude is also the catalyst for Silva’s message about acceptance and compassion and allows for character growth and arc within Cera’s performance.
Written and directed by Sebastian Silva, CRYSTAL FAIRY is based on a true story. Regaling one with his own charismatic brand of magic, Silva recalls going on a “spiritual journey” with his best friend 12 years ago. “We were planning on going to the desert to take Mescaline, to that specific national park that they end up going [in the movie]. And I was at this concert of The Whalers and I ran into, I bumped into ‘Crystal Fairy’; this woman from San Francisco with hairy armpits that went by the name of Crystal Fairy. We became instant friends. We were really high. And then, I invited her to join us on the this trip to the desert. Then I sort of regretted that I invited her and took off without her. Then she was waiting for us in that square in the film where she got robbed by a gypsy. We had to adopt a fairy. We went down with her to this national park in San Pedro and we went to a little town…..everything is based on a true story. The only fictional part, I guess, is the confrontational aspects of their relationship.”
As it is with all of Silva’s films, his “very particular sense of humor” and “ unique sensibility” are running threads throughout CRYSTAL FAIRY, filling it with the essence of his heart, mind, soul and intelligence.
While not a formally structured script, according to Cera, “Everything was really broken down. All of the beats and all the dynamics in every scene when we were talking about, was all in the outline that Sebastian made. Basically it was never like just inventing something on the spot. . . It was just how to express his ideas, which is pretty natural, I think.” As part of the storyline, Cera was required to de-splinter and peel cactus, something which he readily admits to not being adept at, noting “I didn’t have a feel for it at all”; literally and figuratively, given the amount of “prickage” he inflicted upon himself.
Shot on location in Chile over the course of two weeks and in a particularly beautifully rugged area of the Atacama Desert, thanks to cinematographer Cristian Petit-Laurent the filmic cinematic visual texture perfectly fuels the tonal bandwidth and the gritty nature of the terrain and the mind-altering rough edged elements of the story. Adding to the viewing experience is the naturalism and onscreen camaraderie of the cast, which Cera attributes to the fact that “We were all sleeping on top of each other in bunk beds and eating bread and cheese for two weeks. It was fun. From a production standpoint – you’re living the work. You’re travelling around and shooting and thinking about it and having fun. It’s totally immersive which is a nice way to work.” And hello-o! The opening and end title graphics by Pablo Gonzales are stunningly rendered in black and white, accentuating the angular beauty of crystals. Strikingly phenomenal!
Filled with the essences of altruism and non-judgmental positivity, CRYSTAL FAIRY waves a magic wand over you from beginning to end.
Written and Directed by Sebastian Silva
Cast: Gaby Hoffmann, Michael Cera, Augustin Silva
