molypocho — 9 years ago(July 29, 2016 02:34 PM)

I was most impressed by Bennett Miller's nuanced examination of Capote's internal conflict: On one hand Capote knows the book will win him fame and critical acclaim beyond anything he's yet experienced, and on the other hand it's his friendship and identification with Perry that make the book so powerful. It becomes a Catch-22: Writing the book is in many ways a betrayal of their friendship, but without the friendship the book wouldn't be the masterpiece it is today. It's destruction and creation side by side. It's the writer bleeding across the page.
But the portrayals of lesser characters, especially Perry Smith and Harper Lee, left something to be desired. I enjoyed seeing the mythical 'Truman Capote-Harper Lee friendship' onscreen, but Harper Lee's presence felt kinda like Buddha or something. She was there to help us sees Capote's lovable flaws, but she herself remained a polished statue. Miller gave us a space to express proper veneration, but nothing more. No flaws. No internal conflict. No flesh and blood. It felt most like I was watching a biopic whenever she was onscreen.
There was a similar problem with Perry's character. If Lee's characterization was trapped in the 'hero' stereotype, then Perry's portrayal never unfettered itself from the 'victim' stereotype. The actor playing Perry, Clifton Collins Jr., was apparently asked to let his eyes go droopy to express sad puppy dog rejection in every single scene. Boring.
I can understand Miller wanted to use these two characters as foils in illuminating Capote's inner demons, but why did their characterizations have to suffer as a result?
My rating: 9