the movie

Aesthetically postmodern but possessing an old-fashioned spirit that harkens back to '30s screwball comedy, Splendor tells the story of Veronica (Kathleen Robertson) and her two diametrically opposed lovers Abel (Johnathon Schaech) and Zed (Matt Keeslar). A writer/freelance rock critic, Abel is witty, charming, mentally stimulating, while Zed, a drummer in a punk rock band, is pure animal physicality. Both are head over heels crazy about Veronica who, confoundingly, is equally in love with both of them. After trial, tribulation and a dramatic twist at a huge rave in the woods, the trio surrender to their baffling chemistry, defy society's rules and move in together.

Starring:
Kathleen Robertson as Veronica
(Nowhere, Dog Park, Beverly Hills 90210)

Johnathon Schaech as Abel
(The Doom Generation, That Thing You Do)

Matt Keeslar as Zed
(Waiting For Guffman, Last Days Of Disco)

Kelly McDonald as Mike
(Trainspotting, Elizabeth)

Eric Mabius as Ernest
(Welcome To The Dollhouse, I Shot Andy Warhol)

Splendor is the seventh and most ambitious feature by independent filmmaker Gregg Araki, whose previous works include the teen apocalypse trilogy; Totally Fucked Up, The Doom Generation and Nowhere. When Araki conceived of the story for Splendor, he was interested in exploring a new cinematic direction.

"I was really looking to do something new and different that was far outside the realm of angst ridden eighteen year olds" says Araki. "Screwball comedy of the '30s and '40s had always been a favorite genre of mine from my film school days - Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, Leo McCarey, etc - and I wanted to make something in that tradition while doing this sort of revisionist, postmodern thing with the genre at the same time. Creating a movie that is '30s in spirit, structure and convention, and infusing that with a very '90s, forward-looking aesthetic sensibility."

People will also notice a somewhat brighter thematic outlook and visual strategy at in Splendor, something of a departure for a director best known for the over the top anarchy of films like The Doom Generation and The Living End.

"My previous films are frequently deemed 'bleak' or 'hopeless' because they end on a note of 'now what happens ?' uncertainty. But I've always maintained that they aren't nihilistic in that they all share an unyielding, almost naive belief in the ideal of love. So while Splendor is my most overtly romantic film to date, it's definitely more a development of an underlying theme than an abrupt turnabout."

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