King of Herrings
Dir: Eddie Jemison and Sean Richardson
Starring: Eddie Jemison, Joe Chrest, Laura Lamson, Andrea
Frankle, David Jenson, Wayne Pére, John Mese, and Carl Palmer
“King of Herrings” starts in a bar with a group of
friends who have known each other for too long. The typical banter and
storytelling of these round table revelries ensues, escalating in emotion and
culminating in a shouting match that introduces the beginning of the end for
the ever-so-thin bonds holding a long friendship together. The situation sounds
like the beginning verse of the blues song, the music that identifies the New
Orleans streets this ragtag group of men traverse. Written and directed by
Eddie Jemison and Sean Richardson, “King of Herrings” is darkly humorous and at
times a richly poignant portrayal of friendship and masculinity.
Ditch (Eddie Jemison) is a one of those friends
everyone knows; he is loud, egotistical, and brash, that friend that rubs
everyone the wrong way. Though Ditch has found his merry men, a group of guys
that seem to accept him and all his faults, his attitude has finally exhausted
his friends. During a night of poker dissension is created within the group,
leading to a split of allegiances between Ditch and The Professor (Joe
Chrest), a seemingly self-given moniker by another friend in the group. The
situation intensifies with more words cutting deeper rifts into the
disagreement leading to destructive threats and unforgivable revenge ploys.
Character plays an integral and important aspect in
this film and from the opening moments, the film builds an interesting quality
of identifiable people. The leader with a Napoleon complex, the supportive to a
fault friend, the peacemaker who keeps everyone calm, the friend who is waiting
to take over, the lonely woman on the verge of self-discovery; these characters
are all well rendered here. It’s a compliment to the narrative structure, which
moves somewhat aimlessly, that these difficult characters remain believable
amidst all the underhandedness that transpires. Though it’s easier to
accomplish this when you have such a talented cast. Eddie Jemison is in the
spotlight and accomplishes the task of becoming a loathsome character in the
first few minutes of screen time. This continues throughout as Ditch vehemently
muses on aspects of love, sex, marriage, and friendship. It’s comic yet wholly
serious, a thin line that displays Jemison’s skill. Joe Chrest does a great job
as The Professor, moving from an insufferable smart aleck, to a revenge-seeking
degenerate, to a confused suitor; you never know what aspect of the character
is genuine if any at all. The best character in the mix comes along
unexpectedly in the form of Laura Lamson who plays Ditch’s wife Mary. Her
character is mistreated and degraded by Ditch throughout, relinquished to an
almost captive state as a lonely woman desperate for escape and the self-esteem
to stand up to her husband. Lamson starts off subdued but slowly emerges as
the strongest character amidst a group of men whose misguided masculinity in a
way becomes their vulnerable limitation.
While the film may linger in spots, taking too much
time reiterating a theme already told, it’s never boring, but in fact
remains consistently stimulating. The characters are well executed and the black and white aesthetic works charmingly within the New Orleans streets. Whether
about the trappings and misunderstandings found in masculinity, the emergence
of feminine strength, or the complexities of different relationships, “King of
Herrings” explores challenging subject matter and difficult characters with a
keen eye and a healthy dose of dark comedy.
Monte’s Rating
4.00 out of 5.00
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