num_pages: 207
description: "Living in Oblivion" - the screenplay for a highly entertaining, if little known independent film - is a pleasure to read. In Tom DiCillo's economic prose, the joys, frustrations and occasionally maddening incivilities of making a low-budget film come vibrantly to life. What's more, the unique, and complex structure (switching from color to black-and-white film stock, clearly indicated as part of the script; and a surprising use of dream-sequences throughout) add a textured layer to the story. I don't think it's necessary to see the film before reading the screenplay (though it can't hurt!) because the characters come to life through their individual foibles, ambitions and unexpected emotional entanglements. The story never bogs down in filmmaking minutiae but you still get a vivid sense of what it's like to stagger onto a make-shift film set at 4 a.m., drinking bad coffee and having trouble getting into character. It's also enormously sympathetic towards and forgiving of each individual character, from the macho cinematographer to the egomaniacal leading man, and most especially, the erstwhile director trying somehow to hold everything together. Highly recommended! - By Lee Polevoi "lpolevoi" (San Diego, CA United States)
language: English
title: Living in Oblivion: Tie-In
titlecomplete: Living in Oblivion: Tie-In
ratings_count: 14
publisher: Plume