Two Rivers - The Movie / Via Facebook
One of the most familiar faces from Milwaukee’s indie film culture, Mark Borchardt, co-stars in Two Rivers, a short by writer-director Melonie Gartner. The story is set in the Wisconsin town of the same name against a backdrop of rumored factory closings and outsourcing of jobs, but concerns the unraveling marriage between Emma (played by Gartner in low key) and Dirk (Borchardt in maniacal mode). His character is verbally and physically abusive, probably an alcoholic Iraq war veteran whose soul has darkened with bitterness.
“I wanted to make a low-budget psychological thriller—I’m very influenced by Hitchcock,” Gartner says. “I was always looking for the perfect actor to play Dirk. One day I was watching American Movie and there was Mark Borchardt—he was the perfect Dirk!”
Specifically, what drew Gartner to him was his performance in the subject of American Movie, his ill-fated production of Northwest. “He had a look to him—a dangerous look,” Gartner continues. “I was always looking for someone with that dangerous edge.”
Filmed in black and white, Two Rivers moves easily between everyday talk outside the factory of the upcoming Packer party (bring the taco dip and the Leines) and the violence of Emma’s household. An elegiac tone is struck when Emma decides to leave home with her wheeled suitcase trailing behind her; a moment of visual poetry comes as she enjoys the freedom of eating ice cream alone on an outdoor bench. Two Rivers continues for several wordless minutes toward the surprising conclusion—a silent movie whose emotions can be discerned through gesture and expression.
Two Rivers will be screened as part of the Wildwood Film Festival. 6 p.m., March 21 at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, 400 W. College Ave., Appleton. It is also viewable on YouTube.
