Directed by Alex Ross Perry, an American director of a small number of lesser-known films, Listen Up Philip focuses on the young writer Philip Lewis Friedman from the point of publishing his first novel. Loosely based on the events of real life writer Philip Roth, the fictional Philip is selfish, egotistic, arrogant and at times harshly aggressive and denigrating towards those around him. Narrated by an omniscient voice that points out the external and internal actions of Philip and the people around him, he is at the point of publishing his second novel when he is contacted by Ike Zimmerman, an older, more successful and equally pompous writer, and the two become friends. ZimmermanÔÇÖs life and relationship with his daughter (Krysten Ritter, Jane in Breaking Bad) function as a parallel; a Philip in his later years.

Despite being the centre of the film, PhilipÔÇÖs character remains an enigma, in the sense that he reveals everything and nothing about himself. Despite his frank honesty with the people he comes into contact with, Philip seems increasingly aware of his own confusion, as the complications of his life begin to make him appear false to himself, with motivations that are inaccessible to the audience. Due to the nature of his character and that of ZimmermanÔÇÖs, the tone is lonely and existential, as the relationships between the characters are never able to progress beyond surface level.

Advertised as a Woody Allen style comedy, Listen Up Philip┬ámaintains little similarity with his work. The tone is bitter, emphasising drama over comedy, with a slow and dark New York jazz soundtrack and a handheld style that alternately seems to compliment and conflict with the atmosphere of the film. The dark tone is held and maintained by the unrelenting selfishness of the two characters, despite their self aware, near-whimsical dialogue with each other. However the film does have comedic elements, often arising from PhilipÔÇÖs brutally honest interactions with other characters, or from the conversations of the two writers as they give even further freedom to their self-centred monologues. One moment is both symptomatic of the subtle comedy within the film, and of the two characters’ personalities. Zimmerman comes to PhilipÔÇÖs office where he works as a creative writing tutor to talk about his own problems. Ike expresses his discomfort at having to sit in the pupilÔÇÖs chair. Rather than give up his seat, Philip replies that he would rather not sit as a pupil in his own office; and so the two proceed to sit in the only available space in the room, uncomfortably cramped beside each other. As the two sit there, lamenting their emotional pains, it is clear that they are unable to forgo their own egos.

The subject matter is welcome in its unique take on the life of a writer, choosing not to focus on the romantic and more positive elements associated with literary lifestyle. Instead, Perry chooses to realistically explore a complicated life full of negative emotions, and the impact of putting yourself a long, lonely distance above others.

Beau Beakhouse