Steven Soderbergh shoots gripping true crime on high-def video in a small town near the Ohio-West Virginia border, proving he is one of America’s most restless and inventive filmmakers.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2006
Bubble 2005
“Traveling far from the soap-bubble glamour of Ocean’s Twelve, Steven Soderbergh proves himself, once again, to be among the most restless and inventive American filmmakers working today. Bubble, shot on high-definition video in a small town near the Ohio–West Virginia border, is a dour slice of realism with a lean, true-crime feel. Using a nonprofessional, local cast and a subtle, efficient script by Coleman Hough, Soderbergh constructs a tale of jealousy and claustrophobia involving three doll-factory workers… The movie is absorbing and unnerving, and represents an admirable attempt on Soderbergh’s part to shake off standard Hollywood clichés about provincial American life and use the movie camera to discover what – and who – is really out there.” — A.O. Scott, NY Times
“Completely gripping in its unassuming ordinariness… There is narrative nourishment here: a real story, from real life. And Soderbergh has given us a ringside seat. This is an exhilarating movie, and a triumph for this nimble and imaginative director.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian