Taglines: Revenge is a Dirty Business.
Clean Movie Storyline. This small film was clearly a labor of love for the Oscar winner, who also serves as producer, co-writer, and composer. Why he would lend his considerable clout to this clichéd story told in overwrought fashion remains a mystery, but his ability is never in doubt. Reteaming with director and co-writer Paul Solet (“Bullet Head”), Brody stars as the ironically named Clean. He’s a garbage collector who spends his nights picking up trash from the industrial, snowy streets of Utica, New York, and laying down his worldview in repetitive, heavy-handed tones.
“I’m still lookin’ for answers,” he explains in a raspy, opening voiceover. “I just don’t know the questions anymore.” He also complains about the “endless onslaught of ugliness” he sees all around him, which is more than a little reminiscent of Travis Bickle’s screeds against the decay of society. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t wash away the past,” he says eventually, just in case we weren’t clear as to the story “Clean” aims to tell.
But watching him try to do just that is far more compelling than hearing him talk about it. Clean is good with his hands, and we see him go through the methodical process of gathering salvageable items, fixing them in his spartan apartment, and selling them to the local pawn shop, where RZA brings a welcome feeling of warmth amid the bleakness as its proprietor.
Mykelti Williamson also has a few nice moments as a barber who serves as Clean’s sponsor. (His recovery from drug addiction gives the film’s title yet another meaning.) Clean seems to know everyone in the neighborhood and secretly does good deeds for them, like painting over graffiti or fixing the exterior of a dilapidated house.
Clean (2022)
Directed by: Paul Solet
Starring: Adrien Brody, Glenn Fleshler, Richie Merritt, Chandler DuPont, Mykelti Williamson, Michelle Wilson, John Bianco, Alex Corrado, Gerard Cordero, Jade Scott Yorker
Screenplay by: Paul Solet, Adrien Brody
Production Design by: Timothy Whidbee
Cinematography by: Zoran Popovic
Film Editing by: Arndt-Wulf Peemöller
Costume Design by: Michael Bevins
Set Decoration by: Tom j Rukavina
Art Direction by: Lily Bolles
Music by: Adrien Brody
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: IFC Films
Release Date: January 28, 2022
Visits: 51
