Marla is a short fan film based on the character “Marla” from the novel and film Fight Club. While Palahniuk’s novel focuses on the male perspective of today’s society, Marla tackles what is going on up in its only female character’s head during and in the aftermath of her times with Tyler and his Space Monkeys. As you can imagine, after spending lots of “quality” time together, he has rubbed off quite a bit on sweet Marla. Anyone who reads this column already knows that I am a major Fight Club junkie and for all the spin-offs and fan films I have seen based on it, this is by far the most worthy of the bunch. This is a fan film for all the Tyler Durden wannabes out there and while it offers some great stylish shots non-fans will find little else her to interest them.

This Belgium-made short film is in French, but the subtitles were well done and accurate. Some of us Americans have a big problem with reading subtitles during a film. I never really understood this and because of it they miss out on a lot of great foreign films because they’re too lazy to read. There isn’t a ton of dialogue here, but if you dug the source material, this is on par enough that you will enjoy the script. Marla seems to take on the personality and speech patterns of Narrator/Tyler which seemed a bit odd, however. Ranting about men, big corporation, consumerism, and everything else you would expect. Filmmakers Vanaschen and Goyon also throw in some hilarious commercial segments for extra kicks. Complete with the Tyler-esque subliminal print (although I had to get my wife to translate for me).

The film leaves a couple questions, and has a couple missteps, but nothing crucial. Who is the man Marla’s talking to? A detective investigating Project Mayhem? His office is pretty secluded and dingy and he’s sporting tattoos. Perhaps he is symbolic of men in general? This could also be for budget reasons (Marla was made for approximately $425 USD with a mini35 camera rig the filmmakers made themselves, see website). Also the shot in the elevator towards the opening was held too long and disrupts the flow, luckily this is the only pacing mistake. My only other issue was the actor at the group meeting who was crying. He was funny but a bit much.

Marla wouldn’t have worked without the right person playing the title character and a great sense of “cool” to match the feel of Fight Club. Actress Melanie Biesemans takes on the role filled by Helena Bonham Carter and fit comfortably in Marla’s shoes. I didn’t even realize Biesemans was playing more than just “Marla” until the end credits! I love the overall style and flow of the film and it really showcases the potential of “Another State of Mind”. And thanks to the power of the internet you too can see the film for yourself on the website www.marlathemovie.com. Keep up the good work guys!

See also:
http://www.anotherstateofmind.be/

(04-0525)