Permanent Record

Sincere, interminable treacle about a high school rock musician and composer (Alan Boyce) who commits suicide for obscure reasons, and the problems of his best friend (Keanu Reeves) and others in his crowd in carrying on afterward. A lot of talented people, ranging from Eraserhead’s cinematographer (Frederick Elmes) to Choose Me’s costume designer (Tracy Tynan), contributed to this muck, and the saddest thing about it is the fact that a film directed and partially written by women should be so unabashedly sexist in its uncritical treatment of all the major female characters as groupies and dutiful camp followers (played by Michelle Meyrink, Jennifer Rubin, and Pamela Gidley, among others), who need validation from the lead louts (Boyce and Reeves) simply in order to exist. Marisa Silver directed, Joe Strummer (formerly of the Clash) supplied the ho-hum score, and Jarre Fees, Alice Liddle, and Larry Ketron are credited with the lugubrious script. (JR)

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