Confession time: if not for The Shards actor Graham Campbell posting about it frequently, Late Fame would not have been on my radar at all. Much can be made of discovering an indie, and I certainly have no regrets after seeking out this compelling gem. What does it actually mean to be talented, and what are you supposed to do with that talent once someone else recognizes it? Late Fame presents the seasoned Willem Dafoe as an aging poet suddenly rediscovered by a group of young intellectuals decades after abandoning his original ambitions. More interested in mood and the fleeting nature of success than providing straightforward payoff, Late Fame certainly will not be for everyone. Yet, Willem Dafoe’s beautiful performance makes its strange existential journey affecting and even sweet to behold.
Dafoe stars as Ed Saxberger, a former poet who has given up poetry writing for the monotony of mailroom post office work. His comfortable routine gets unexpectedly interrupted when the passionate Meyers (Edmund Donovan) approaches him and reveals a bubbly admiration for Ed’s old poetry collection. Meyers considers his writing timeless, relevant, and worthy of far more recognition than it ever received. A sudden treatment as an undiscovered literary icon may be enough to make Saxberger reconsider his abandonment of the craft.
Meyers brings Saxberger into his circle of writers, artists, critics, playwrights, and intellectuals, including playwright Carmichael (Arthur Langlie), experimental writer Scherfy (Graham Campbell), critic Brussard (Clay Singer), the eclectic Winn (Luca Padovan), and seductive singer, Gloria (Greta Lee). They call one another exclusively by their last names, reject social media, complain about influencers glued to their phones, and bond over an obsession for art. Their proposed “Enthusiasm Society” group aims to stand against negativity and what they describe as the “corsetting” of culture. In other words, that whole group remains just pretentious enough to be humorous.
For the first time in years, people are interested in something Saxberger created rather than the mail he sorts. Their enthusiasm gives Saxberger permission to think of himself as a poet again, and they encourage him to produce something new for an upcoming throwback literary event. That event becomes the film’s centerpiece, as everyone preps for what could be a momentous turning point for culture, or something akin to an actual movement. Gloria takes an interest in Saxberger’s work, and attempts to prep him for an imminent rise to fame. Their unexpected connection gives Saxberger a charge. Lee and Dafoe have a kinetic chemistry that practically leaps from the screen. Lee holds her own too, delivering an emotional sucker punch that was completely out of left field.
Dafoe is fantastic at capturing the nuances of Saxberger’s struggle to embrace his artistic side again. How can his older friends even understand when they’ve never seen him in this way? Yet Late Fame constantly allows reality to creep around the edges of Ed’s artistic renaissance. There’s something practically romanticized about this young group and the way they take into account Saxberg’s views and opinions. Can their attitudes about him actually be genuine, or are they themselves simply putting on another performance?
Dafoe makes the script’s compelling rough edges function beautifully. In his aged poet is a sort of beauty, but also a cutting humor, and a quiet desire that creeps its way to the surface. I also loved seeing Graham Campbell pop up here, in the first role I’ve personally seen him tackle outside of The Shards. He fits naturally into the collection of young artists who speak about culture as though they may be the personal saviors of it.
Late Fame isn’t perfect, and a purposely unresolved approach can frequently feel more akin to simply watching a series of interesting moments rather than a fulfilling narrative. Still, what a joy it becomes to spend some time in its strange little orbit. Late Fame makes a hopeful suggestion about great days being ahead of us, even if our ultimate successes might be in the past. For Dafoe, he somehow continues turning in outstanding performances this deep in his career; he’s no late discovery, but I will always be first in line for whatever Dafoe offers up next.
Expand your mind: Late Fame is now on VOD and digital.
