Everything Will Be Fine in the End

After the unintentional act of murder, George, Kai, and Renka wind up going to Buzz for help. Bartone leaves the viewer to discover whether he’ll actually help or try to capitalize on the situation for his benefit. Every scene is percolating with potential violence and sex that sometimes explodes into reality. The trio of not-so-hardened criminals has sex in the germ-phobic woman’s house, less out of passion than as a “f**k you” to the organized, plastic slip-covered life she has constructed for herself. After they’ve killed her, they leave her covered in the same poly sheet that her sofa has on it.

Bartone’s creation is, intentionally, one hopes, more of a franken-blend pastiche of clever influences than it is original art made from whole cloth. This includes credits that look like they were drawn by Ralph Steadman, styles from films like Out of the Blue. A big inspiration on Everything Will Be Fine in the End is Repo Man. Buzz, in his stripped-down patrol car, is a dead ringer for J. Frank Parnell (Fox Harris) when he drives around L.A. with his mind eroding and a trunk full of radioactive alien corpses. George, Kai, and Renka are reminiscent of the white suburban punks in that film.

“…Hunter Thompson Gonzo-energy here.”

There is also Hunter Thompson Gonzo-energy here. While the language of the script is not at Thompson’s level, the deliberate freak-out journey is one he could appreciate. This street life outside the norm aspires to Kerouac’s On The Road. The blast of chaotic energy at the outset comes with raucous music and trash-filled streets but eventually gives way to more organized desperation. The studied, cool ennui of each character turns to panic and shame as they grapple with the murder. Kennedy, as George, carries the film well enough, despite uneven acting. All of the performances are, in turn, listless or over-the-top, but that works in this setting.

Everything Will Be Fine in the End is infused with quality craftsmanship, despite a small budget. The wasteland Los Angeles that sits on top of the one we are used to is convincingly disgusting, shown through frenetic camera work. The soundtrack drives an out-of-control sensation while watching the film, often cranked up to the point where the dialog is nearly unintelligible. Oscar Wilde inspired the title: “Everything is going to be fine in the end. If it’s not fine, then it’s not the end.”

Watch Everything Will Be Fine in the End and seek social commentary on the emptiness of life, or give in to the whirlwind and watch it for the wild unsavory ride. Just know that each viewer will have a different experience. It’s like the street shaman says: “We don’t see things the way they are. We see them the way we are.”

For more information about Everything Will Be Fine in the End, visit the Small Factory Films website.