Red Light August - OCF Review

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE FOUNDATION
www.ocfoundation.org
9/1/99

Book & Movie Reviews

Red Light August
a film by Jeff Gomez

reviewed by Al Willen

As someone who sees several hundred hours of movies every year, I was excited to preview and review the new OCD-themed short film, Red Light August. Written and directed by Jeff Gomez (mythical creator of Magic: The Gathering and Turok comics/videogames phenomena, just to name a few), award-winning Red Light August created its own media controversy in the OCD community when publicly shown.

Some critics said it accurately portrayed a “face” of OCD. Others said that face was distorted, inaccurate, and sensationalized.

I had to find out for myself.

Red Light August packs allot of punch for a 30-minute film. While the underlying messages and textures are quite complex, the plot is relatively simple:

Young artist (Boothe) lives rent-free in an art-patron sponsored apartment building located in Spanish Harlem. Boothe saves a young woman—Jenny—from abusive boyfriend at a rave club, and falls in love with her friend (Elaine). Boothe perceives Jenny as aggressive and overt and Elaine as pure and innocent. (The anxiety of infatuation triggers Boothe into secretly performing his OCD rituals involving flashes of Jenny’s intrusive images.) The next day, he befriends an ex-junkie, now poet, named Eric. When Eric and his landlord-patron decide to sneak-preview his paintings—including his secret ritualistic painting (which they find hidden under Boothe’s bed)—without his permission, Boothe goes into a rage resulting in dire consequences for all characters involved in his immediate life. Like most OCD’ers, Boothe is shameful and embarrassed by his OCD rituals, especially because—in this case—they involve horrific, religious, and sexual images. His rituals—although bizarre—evolve to the point where they are physical salves that counter the constant torments of his intrusive thoughts.

Because of the aforementioned argument, when I popped a cassette of Red Light August into my VCR I expected this movie to be the OCD equivalent of the Blair Witch Project; very hip, but with low production values. I was, however, surprised to find that Red Light August has first-class dialog coupled with an extremely high-quality cinema look and superior soundtrack. It has the look and feel of a major feature film.

But that wasn’t the nature of the controversy, which basically comes down to the question, “Is this really OCD?”

The viewers who said it wasn’t—including some notable OCD experts—seemed to focus either on Boothe’s masturbation-like rituals and/or a Body Dysmorphic Disorder theme. (These being the most sensational behaviors shown in the film.) While I personally haven’t heard of OCD exhibited in quite this fashion, I tend to agree with those viewers who say it wasn’t the specific behaviors portrayed which indicated that OCD was present, but rather Boothe’s inability to stop his triggers from initializing an unwanted, automated behavioral response.

Regardless of these opinions, to me, the clearest example of exhibited OCD was Boothe’s “checking” rituals concerning locking his apartment door and inspecting his apartment windows to make sure they were secured; behaviors which I have personally seen in several of my OCD friends. (He also mentally “hears” a recurring “sound” and paces relentlessly up-and-down his neighborhood block.) Boothe may have other psychological and/or sexual problems, but OCD is clearly there.

Equally elusive is the title for this movie. The words, “Red Light” can refer to a number of things including the locale of the movie (a “red light” district)...”red” being a emotional, “sexual” color...the color of Boothe’s blood which he uses in his “secret” painting...or even, “Red Light” being a pure, intense red paint color used by artists. “August” always seemed to me a month when time stands still, and certainly in this film, a fragment of Boothe’s life is frozen for all to see. Probably, despite me trying to find meaning in even the simplest of things a la Beatles’ lyrics played backwards, the title is simply where and when the movie was made (i.e., Spanish Harlem, August 1998).

In this movie, Boothe plays the part of a flawed superhero. Like many OCD’ers, he is blessed with many accomplished attributes; his artistic talents, superior emotional sensibilities, good lucks, and martial arts abilities. Boothe’s “Kryptonite” is his OCD.

While this movie is rated “for adults only,” quite frankly, we’ve all seen more blatant examples of sexual overkill on network TV and on our favorite cable stations. While there is no nudity is involved, however, this isn’t the type of film you’d show your Aunt Matilda at Thanksgiving...or fellow parents at a PTA meeting. It should be seen by adult OCD’ers, not for educational purposes, and certainly not for purely entertainment purposes, but to demonstrate that OCD can represent itself in a variety of secret, sometimes sexual, and always insidious, forms.

Additionally, while the blockbuster—and also controversial—flick, As Good As It Gets hit a chord with mainstream America, Red Light August is sure to play a similar sympathetic note among a younger, Gen-X audience. More importantly, it will hopefully prompt more film producers to use OCD as a serious backdrop in their upcoming cinema efforts.

My one criticism with Red Light August was that it was so involving, and so well done, that just when the major characters were developed...the film was over. Hopefully this will be merely a springboard for future Gomez projects involving his Red Light August characters and environment.