Delirious

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 2006, 107 min
Section: Official Selection - Out of Competition

Synopsis

A loud-mouth paparazzo named Les, whose motto is “to go with the flow”, runs into a homeless kid named Toby, who came to New York to make it as an actor. The naive dreamer with a rock star’s charisma becomes an assistant to the seasoned photographer who teaches him the tricks of the trade, such as how to get into the right soirees. When pop princess Kharma steps into Toby’s life, Les sees a chance to get a few lucrative shots. A fresh, new satirical comedy by one of the most interesting figures in American independent cinema, this film takes a look at the world of showbusiness as it turns churns out not only the adored stars for their term of fame, but especially the engineers of their rise and fall - the paparazzi. One such maker and breaker is perfectly embodied by Steve Buscemi, whose brilliant portrayal of down-and-out Les is a distant reminder of Dustin Hoffman’s Rizzo in Midnight Cowboy – a reference that DiCillo’s movie acknowledges.

About the director

Tom DiCillo (b. 1954), director, screenwriter, and cinematographer, made his debut in 1991 with the movie Johnny Suede, which brought him the top prize at the festival in Locarno. His next film Living in Oblivion (1995) brought DiCillo the award for Best Screenplay at Sundance. A year later he premiered Box of Moon Light, with John Turturro in the leading role, at the Venice Film Festival. This film and his next, The Real Blonde, both featured actress Catherine Keener, the director’s steady collaborator. Steve Buscemi, another of the director’s favourite actors, starred not only in Living in Oblivion but also in DiCillo’s last two films - Double Whammy and Delirious. The latter of these won the awards for direction and screenwriting at last year’s festival in San Sebastian. The Karlovy Vary IFF has presented all of DiCillo’s films to Czech audiences.