Goliath (DVD)

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Pitched somewhere between mumblecore and Harmony Korine territory, "Goliath" (2008) is a fitfully inspired story of suburban alienation from the Zellner Brothers (David and Nathan), best known for their indie festival short films.

Like the lead character in "Falling Down" (or perhaps "Postal" is a better comparison), our protagonist (played by director David Zellner) has no name which is appropriate because hes losing his sense of identity in piecemeal fashion (Ill call him Guy, though, because thats how hes listed in the credits.) He is embroiled in a bitter divorce with his wife (Caroline OConnor), sliding down the corporate ladder rung by rung and, worst of all, he has just lost his beloved cat and only true friend Goliath.

The films opening montage, consisting of shots of Guy and his cat, is genuinely touching and reaches a level of sincerity that the film struggles to maintain. Though Guy wallows in self-pity, its not difficult to see why things have gone so terribly wrong for this sad sack. His attempts to reconcile with his wife are so half-assed and fully wrong-headed that were left to wonder what self-esteem issues led her to marry him in the first place. Hes also completely incapable of taking a stand at work even when his weaselly bosses (one of whom is played by Andrew Bujalski) enlist him to fire a co-worker (cult actor Wiley Wiggins) because "things just arent working out." Guys web browser history also shows us the extent of his social life. His two top sites are prisontits.com and catsmarts.com. Only his poignant but typically unfocused search for Goliath keeps him from being crushed by isolation and blowing his top.

The mustachioed Zellner brings genuine empathy to the role at time but walks a fine edge between observation and condescension, occasionally stumbling right over the line. With nothing better to do with his time, Guy tends the yard and begins stalking a local registered sex offender who (Indie Quirk Alert!) can only speak with the aid of a voice box (said offender being played by Nathan Zellner, also credited as Producer/Editor.) This final act resolves in distasteful fashion with the main character being made to look quite the fool.

Still, "Goliath" features some genuinely brilliant moments, perhaps the best being a four and a half minute shot of the protagonist and his ex-wife signing divorce papers. Its more than a gimmick and packs quite a punch. Similarly inspired are the hilarious/grotesque moments he is forced to spend with his vile, bodily-function obsessed co-workers who provide a cringe-worthy fun-house mirror vision of pseudo-macho culture: "Welcome to our world, bitch tits!" Zellner also drops in a reference to Werner Herzogs masterpiece "Stroszek" which scores extra points with me.