Bad Timing

Bad Timing (1980)

Runtime: 123 minutes

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg

Starring: Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell (no relation), Harvey Keitel, Denholm Elliott, Daniel Massey

From: Rank Film Distributors

I have the Criterion Channel’s 24/7 service for me finally tackling this film; before last night, it was one of seemingly thousands I’ve known of and have had at least a bit of interest in yet until last night the trigger was never pulled. More Nicolas Roeg needed to be seen by me anyhow. I was always curious over seeing Art Garfunkel in an erotic psychological drama. While he’ll always be best as a legendary musician (I’m hopeful that even the youngest readers will know Simon & Garfunkel), he was fine in the role and in fact casting someone like him was probably a good bold choice, for reasons I can't divulge.

In a nonlinear fashion, we see the passionate romance between psychoanalyst Garfunkel and the younger Theresa Russell-no relation-in Vienna, a pair of Americans who found each other. She OD’s in an apparent suicide attempt & is taken to a hospital; this is investigated, led by Harvey Keitel, dressed like Mr. White but sporting longer hair. The film has great hair between the three leads.

The movie is thankfully fair in treating lead girl Milena’s depression & general mental health struggles. Lead guy Alex has his own flaws; thus, it was easy to comprehend those personalities & why it was full of passion… sometimes love, sometimes confusion, and sometimes combustion. He’s the logical sort who wants to understand while she is a fiery, bold personality more about love.

The film had & has a controversial reputation; the film’s own distributor found it “sick,” the brief theatrical release in the United States was unrated, then it was only 2005 that it had any U.S. home release, via Criterion. I wasn’t quite sure why this was the case myself. A woman attempting to take her own life is always upsetting, along with seeing her deteriorating mental health. There’s a tracheotomy which was gruesome. Then, the final act happened… it all became clear. Remaining vague, I’ll just state that at least one appalling moment happens; for some it may be too much, for a variety of reasons.

I’ll give the movie credit for its boldness in broaching such mature topics and uncomfortable moments w/ an unwavering eye. The editing and how the story was presented played a large role in the movie’s success; so did the interesting score & soundtrack. I’ll always be mystified by the popularity of Tom Waits but as it was just one song from him & I enjoyed the rest… no complaints. While a challenging movie, the journey of experiencing Bad Timing that will be one worth taking for many. The outstanding performance of Russell alone is one reason.