‘BUBBLE” is one of the more interesting low-budget experiments Steven Soderbergh has indulged in between flashy Hollywood entertainments like “Ocean’s 11” and “Erin Brockovich.”
This one not only uses a nonprofessional cast, but is also apparently the first film by a major director ever to debut simultaneously in theaters and on DVD.
The setting is a small town in Ohio, where Martha (the excellent Debbie Doebereiner), a chubby redhead in her 30s, is the live-in caretaker for her ailing dad (Omar Cowan).
Martha works at a small doll factory, where she has developed a vaguely motherly relationship with the younger Kyle (Dustin Ashley).
But their bland lunchtime conversations are disrupted by the arrival of the pretty Rose (Misty Wilkins), who is brought in temporarily to help out.
Martha takes an almost instant disliking to Rose when she catches the younger woman taking a bath in a house that Rose is cleaning.
Nonetheless agreeing to baby-sit for Rose’s young daughter, Martha is horrified to discover Rose is going out on a date with Kyle.
When Rose returns home, Martha is witness to a shouting match between Rose and the child’s father – and Rose refuses to discuss it with the insulted Martha afterwards.
When Rose is found strangled the next morning, the local detective (Decker Moody) has at least three handy suspects – not that it will take the audience very long to figure out the culprit.
As its title implies, “Bubble” (written by Coleman Hough) is a deadpan commentary on the emptiness of middle-American life, and Soderbergh manages to pull this off without condescending to the characters.
It’s an improvement from the unbearable self-conscious artsiness of some of his previous experiments like “Solaris” and “Full Frontal.”
“Bubble” plays a lot like a first film by a incredibly promising filmmaker. I’ve seen it both on DVD and projected, and it’s not something that demands to be seen in a theater.
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BUBBLE
[** 1/2] (Two and one-half stars)
Amateur hour. Running time: 73 minutes. Rated R (profanity). At the Sunshine, East Houston Street and Second Avenue.