Factotum
Writen & Directed by Bent Hamer
Norwegian director Bent Hamer’s first English-language film brilliantly expresses the spirit of iconic iconoclast Charles Bukowski. Based on Bukowski’s novel Factotum and several additional writings, the film follows Henry Chinaski, Bukowski’s literary alter-ego, through interludes of drunken, irresponsible, uncompromisingly unconventional behavior—leaving jobs, leaving women—as the writer clings to nothing except his intention to write.
“I first read Bukowski when I was studying law in my twenties. I’m not a disciple, but he stuck with me,” says Hamer. “Jim Stark [Jim Jarmusch’s producer] and I met at the Cannes Film Festival and discussed working together, and I thought we should do something in the United States. Bukowski came to mind. The rights to Factotum were available, so I reread it critically to see if it would work as a film. Adapting it would be difficult but possible, and I liked it. I related to its humor, appreciated the authenticity of Bukowski’s writing and the depth of his self-view as Chinask. I didn’t want to make another Barfly. I wanted to avoid clichés; to show human warmth and vulnerability on a more authentic level.”
Your cast is perfect. Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei give flawless performances. How’d you enlist them?
It all happened within our circle of friends. Jim worked before with Lili Taylor. Matt’s Fisher Stevens’ friend. Jim and Matt knew Marisa.
That was a bit strange and new for me. I’d never got anyone to be in a movie because I knew them. But that’s how it happened, and it turned out amazingly well.
Initially, we spoke with Sean Penn, who’s a friend of Linda Bukowski’s. He was very supportive, but we couldn’t match schedules. Then Fisher suggested Matt. With Sean, it would have been a very different movie. Now, frankly, I can’t imagine anyone but Matt playing Henry. I think he’s amazing.
So do I. His best work ever. You put together European production with great American actors. What’s different about European production?
America has so many great actors who’re experienced in making films, and they’re really brave—willing to try anything. I was thrilled working with them. I think most American production—even independent film—is influenced by studios. Generally speaking, European filmmakers are more independent artistically. Our projects are smaller, we have no star system and rely on teamwork. We’re able to take greater risks.
As a filmmaker, you have to take risks, to push into uncharted territory. If you succeed, you capture authenticity of a moment, of life.
If we’d been studio-backed, we could never have put that one five-minute long single take of Matt and Lili waking up, being sick, being together and being apart in Factotum. They would never allow it. It was too risky—five minutes of a single shot, without any coverage. Nothing to edit if it didn’t play well. But it does. I think it’s the most beautiful thing in the film.
I agree. It’s daring and brilliant—something film students will probably study. What was shooting it like?
We were in an abandoned rooming house in Minneapolis; we couldn’t afford to shoot in Los Angeles or build sets. We had to clean the place. There were things left by tenants and it stank. It had authenticity.
Space was tight. We positioned the camera. I told the cameraman to hold steady, even if Matt and Lili moved out of frame so we could only hear them. We could’ve used a wider lens, but I made it harder for the cameraman. I wanted to see their life as is: stark, naked, without manipulation or censorship.
We rehearsed. I added that Lili vomits after Matt does. We shot it. Matt was nervous about shooting it without coverage, but he went for it and he’s right there. It feels real because it happened. I was blown away while I watched the monitor. I immediately knew we had it.
Why is it so difficult to adapt Bukowski?
His writings are episodic—without beginning, middle and end. There’s no character arc. Chinaski’s the same at the beginning as at the end. Bukowski himself was determined not to change anything about his life.
It’s challenging to make that into an interesting film because you must capture Bukowski’s unique, engaging and very provocative spirit. Actually, his writing’s episodic nature helps, in a way. It allows you to play with structure, to cut from one scene in one book to another scene written 20 years later without chronological concerns. So, you get the full range of Bukowski’s dialog, which is so sharp and beautiful and has so much humor.
Most important, you have to show the warmth that exists between these people—even though their habits are dark, down and out.
The challenge is to move ordinary people who might think Bukowski has nothing to do with them, who think they can’t get anything out of this film. But, appreciating him and his art has nothing to do respecting his lifestyle. Frankly, he does many things I wouldn’t do. If I were in the same room with him, I might even knock him down. But his is a unique expression of humanity, and I think it can move everyone.
