A sense of utter desperation underlies Al Pacino’s voice as A.J. Maglehorn, a down-to-earth locksmith who is grappling with the loss of the love of his life, Clara.

Pacino fills A.J’s angst with gravelly resonance on the soundtrack’s voice over. A.J. is writing love letters, which are an ode to her, but he is also stuck in a rut because he can’t let go of who is gone. Where there is despair, where does one find solace?

Perhaps this movie–Manglehorn (2015, USA)–shows us his lifelines are really placebos. This movie is a slice of human reality, written by Paul Logan, his feature writing debut. This independent film is directed by David Gordon Green, following A.J’s sorrow and psychological anguish.

Human reality

The film is aurally and visually like spending time ‘downtown’ or off the mainstream of society, as if looking at life when spending time reaching out on the street. It is a view of the world which may have put me out of my comfort zone, but I also loved its sense of honesty and roughing it.

The kind of life portrayed on the other side of the tracks is ‘real life’. In those places, life isn’t a bed of roses, such as when A.J. in a soup kitchen recounts a story that put him off believing in God. His listeners are elderly and sympathetic ears.

In this territory, getting offside with people is part of the territory. A.J. gets off side a person he trusted, Gary (Harmony Korine), when he naively invites A.J. to his massage house.

A.J. did not know what was in store, but Gary would have regretted inviting him.

The only touch of the mainstream is A.J’s son Jacob (Chris Messina) who has a searching relationship with his father, somehow out of touch with him.

Making a break

This movie grapples with reality, but is there a lifeline that is more life enhancing? Does A.J. make a real break with the things he’s clutching onto to survive? Does he say ‘goodbye’ to Clara and his cat? Can he move on?

More so, can he find a ‘real’ lifeline? That is a question people ask when they are rock bottom.

When he meets a woman over the counter, aptly named Dawn (played by Oscar winner Holly Hunter) because their relationship may signal something new, she messes up his ‘comfortable uncomfortable’ a bit. But is she the answer?

I was hoping A.J. would have an answer, something so strong that could take A.J. on his journey through the edges in a better head space. At someone’s most desperate or lowest, the way out is finding that new head space. Just may need a bit of encouragement there.