“A series of vignettes that aim to challenge accepted notions of normality.” “Considering Reset as an inarguably daring film, it’s also possible to interpret Floyd’s low-key demeanor as a way to portray this sexual deviant as a bemused Everyman traveling a world of seedy motels and bars in a land that represents the further decay of Western civilization, both morally and philosophically.”
“Arthouse enthusiasts will celebrate the return of a filmmaker who refuses to play it safe.”
Bill Edelstein
VARIETY
“An opaque and offbeat story of a man who repeatedly returns to his hometown with the intention of avoiding anyone he once knew.” “The fragmented and existential atmosphere, reminiscent of a Paul Auster novel, is an interesting reward for sticking with the tale.”
Ken Jaworowski
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Resilience, Paul Bojack’s dour examination of unexamined lives, is a slow-burning morality tale simmering with self-interest. One of those rare ensemble dramas whose actors work toward common goals rather than individual awards, the movie resolves its creeping escalation of poor judgment and reprehensible behavior with surprising emotional force. By the end, no illusion is left standing.”
“Alternating intense close-ups with abrupt cross-cutting, Resilience builds its splintered narrative around Jimmy (Henry LeBlanc), a nondescript middle manager with a drinking problem, an imaginary girlfriend and an expensive call-girl habit. After faking a work history for his uncle Hodge (Al Rossi), a poor schlub on the brink of homelessness, Jimmy is dismayed to receive threats of exposure from Hodge’s volatile son (Steve Wilcox). Fearing for his job, Jimmy embarks on a conciliatory mission as self-serving as it is ill-fated.”
“Pinning the actors like moths on a specimen tray, Mr. Bojack’s camera reveals a morally compromised world where ends justify means and deception smoothes every relationship.” “Yes, we all lie, and mostly it’s O.K. Until suddenly it’s not.”
Jeannette Catsoulis
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Like a working-class ‘Crimes and Misdemeanors,’ Resilience hooks an ordinary man with a high-stakes moral dilemma and watches him squirm on the line. Devoid of irony or the wink-wink quirkiness that typifies other indie pics, Paul Bojack’s rough-edged portrait of desperate souls observes as a series of little white lies and not-so-innocent omissions turn fatal: Lonely human resources manager Jimmy (Henry LeBlanc) ends up with blood on his hands after refusing to let a well-intentioned workplace indiscretion jeopardize his cushy job. Arthouse audiences who welcome challenging material will find sustenance in film’s fractured narrative and unflinching characterizations.”
“Though Resilience opens with Jimmy hiring a call girl to play out his fantasy of cheating on a nonexistent girlfriend, as sleazebags go, he’s no worse than the other rock-bottom types who inhabit Bojack’s world. There’s his borderline homeless uncle (Al Rossi), the desperate alcoholic love interest (Julie Alexander) and his unscrupulous cousin (Steve Wilcox), who’s contemplating a date with an underage hooker. Bojack studies these individuals with an almost Sartrean curiosity, damning Jimmy not with a smoking gun but the sound of a dead man’s voice on his answering machine.”
Peter Debruge
VARIETY
“A movie that cares about its characters and story yet doesn’t let anyone off the hook.” “Jimmy (Henry LeBlanc) is a man who works for a corporation that’s doing some downsizing. He drinks a lot and sees a shapely prostitute on a regular basis as he likes to pretend he’s cheating on a girlfriend he doesn’t have. A few months ago he helped out his uncle Jeff (Al Rossi), a bit of charity that doesn’t sit well with Jeff’s son Andrew (Steve Wilcox). Andrew is so angered by Jimmy’s transgression that he’s going to ruin the office drone’s life. To expose any more of the plot would lessen the film’s emotional impact.”
“Paul Bojack, the writer-director, merely hints at what is driving these folks. The audience learns things when Bojack is ready to reveal them, and that keeps you watching. It’s as if the viewers are dropped down in the middle of these people’s lives just to witness a chain of events, and then plucked away as Jimmy faces what he’s done.”
“Resilience is a film that’s meant to be contemplated … and it’s all about what happens when you take the easy way out. Kudos to Bojack for showing how dangerous that route can be.”
Doug Brunell
FILM THREAT
“Writer-director Paul Bojack creates an atmosphere of humor and comedic menace [and] the weird undercurrents crashing through the marital relationships send the plot spiraling in a wholly unexpected direction.”
“The characters and their connections are defined through rapid crosscutting, [as] an eccentric and wryly humorous vibe asserts itself.”
“Fast moving … Compelling … Glass, Necktie makes for an interesting calling card from its creator.”
Ernest Hardy
LA WEEKLY
“Bojack is an ingenious plotter and has a good grasp of human nature … Newcomer Kirk Stricker has a striking, commanding presence.”
“Glass, Necktie looks good and has a mood-enhancing Mark Mothersbaugh score.”
Kevin Thomas
LOS ANGELES TIMES
“A well-made, original film, Glass, Necktie paints a disturbing picture of deception and infidelity amongst a group of friends.”
“A complex and engaging story that pays off with some remarkable insights into characters we cross paths with every day. Director Paul Bojack is a talented writer and filmmaker.”
Brian Bertoldo
FILM THREAT
“A strong ensemble piece … Paul Bojack, who wrote the script, does an equally impressive job with the direction. Using the limitations of his black and white film stock to their full advantage, he creates a very stylized world where nothing is what it seems and right and wrong blend into murky ambiguity.”
FILMS ON
“Writer-director Paul Bojack’s first feature wraps the unaware characters — and spectators –in a web of complex relationships where loyalty proves to be more crucial than fidelity.” “Bojack has created a multi-layered story through which he guides us, switching from one group of characters to another, and finally absorbing us in its odd atmosphere. Glass, Necktie is promising debut.”
Fred Thom
LA PLUME NOIRE