Cast

Sky Ferreira, Zoe Vance, James Siebor, Dustin Ray, Cody Ray, Charles “Spike” Sauers, Catherine Evans, Virginia Heath, Casey Weibust, Drew Harris

Film description

Working-class outskirts of Baltimore. A young boy, Cory dies in a deserted house from a heroin overdose. At the moment of the boy’s death, together with the director we visit his family and friends, we observe their everyday life, listen to what they want to say about themselves and about Cory. They are not outgoing, they don’t lament. Their behaviour reflects the atmosphere of their hometown and the quarter they live in. With inertia and acceptance of the situation, with no major hopes or expectations, they live one day after another. Matt Porterfield sometimes asks questions, sometimes, he only observes. Seemingly, the everyday lives of the characters has not changed, and yet somehow we can feel how deeply they experience the death of a person they loved. On the day before his funeral, they meet to commemorate Cory. Extraordinary energy is generated.

Putty Hill is the second film by the young, independent filmmaker. The semi-documentary (based only on a rough sketch of a screenplay and shot within only twelve days) is a result of improvisations of the amateur actors and their close cooperation with the director. Porterfield searched for his characters in Baltimore. The film raised lively discussions at international festivals and received extremely variable reviews.

Magdalena Sztorc