Emilio Estevez and Christian Slater together again?! Is it time for Young Guns III already? What’s the tag line there, anyway? “Young Guns III: Oof, My Back. Just Wait a Sec, OK?”
Here’s a question: when exactly was the last time you might have considered Emilio Estevez a relevant talent? I bet it wasn’t this century. But, God love ‘im, he’s back out there trying, goshdarnit. And his exploration of homeless issues The Public feels like the kind of film that might be important were it not so slanted … or perhaps contained a talent relevant to this decade.
Writer/director/protagonist/preacher Estevez plays the head of the 3rd floor at the Cincinnati main public library. While his skills are in library science, his main job seems to be looking after the stream of homeless people who hang out in the library on a daily basis. For almost all of Act I, the issues are small time, barely filmworthy. Do we buy his patter with the throng of homeless men who use the library entirely for grooming and bathroom purposes? Yeah, I suppose. His care is matched by his sympathetic impotence, which -unfortunately- describes so many of us when it comes to homeless issues.
One ugly morning, Stuart (Estevez) is visited by the DA (Slater) for his abuse of a homeless man, having booted him out of the library for excessive stench. The homeless man is now suing Cincinnati for $750,000, the “violation of his first amendment rights.” Gotta say, Cincy, y’all are quite fussed for a case where damages can barely be established, let alone proved. But, fine, it’s a black eye, and Stuart is probably going down. These events coincide with the coldest days of the year, and here’s where the plot finally rolls in: unable to stay in the overcrowded public shelters, the homeless population decides to stay in the library all night where they can be guaranteed heat, and, hence, survival.
Only those with the empathy of Donald Trump could possibly conclude, “toss dem bums out!” So the film is raising several good points at once: what is the function of a public library? What duty does a city have to its homeless population? What duty do citizens have to homeless people? And where does one draw the line on natural libertarian instinct (“fend for yourself”) and genuine sympathy?
It’s all a little too neat, of course. The problems that make many people homeless in the first place (i.e. addiction, alienation, sociopathy, etc.) are barely explored here. It’s not always bad luck, although many times it is. Presenting everybody in the room as an honest Joe down on his luck is equally as dishonest as presenting all 1%ers as people who deserve their great fortunes.
Another thing that really bugged me about The Public was failure to demonstrate the consequences. Cincinnati can be a damn cold place; the film needed to sell that. What was presented in the film was acting for the cold, but not actual cold. Cincinnati cold seemed like, at worst, a San Francisco winter — maybe low 30s, but nothing that’ll kill ya. The cinematography needed to impress upon its audience the salient point: exposure = death. i.e. if you kick the homeless out of the library, they are going to die. Then and only then do you start swaying otherwise closed minds. Force libertarians to rethink stances on “I got mine, screw you” and you will reach the picture you want. Until then, this is a well-meaning effort, but one that won’t sway a single person.
The Public had an almost eerie desire to coax a smile out of what clearly wasn’t a happy situation. Let me put it this way: you know how some films give you a one-sentence, often comic, future character summary for everybody in the film right before the end credits? The Public is almost entirely unique among non-dystopias that every.single.character will end up with a depressing future. Here, I’ll write them:
Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) – tossed out of work because of his antics, Stuart becomes homeless again within two months and turns to drugs.
Rebecca Parks (Gabrielle Union) – having been embarrassed for deliberately getting a story wrong on national television, Rebecca is demoted to emergency and bad weather reporting only.
Detective Bill Ramstead (Alec Baldwin) – the reunion with his son is limited as the boy bolts as soon as bail is posted. Bill never sees his son again, nor does he get the vacation he’s longed for.
Angela (Taylor Schilling) – after the apartment owner figures out that Angela’s maintenance skills are piss poor, he jacks up her rent, forcing her to move to a cheaper apartment building where she’s abused on a daily basis.
Jackson (Michael Kenneth Williams) – unable to return to the library, Jackson dies of exposure five days later. (Feel free to replace “Jackson” with literally any other member among the homeless cast.)
I could do this all day people; one year later, nobody in The Public will have a superior life to the one they have now. Wait. I speak too soon. One character might:
DA Josh Davis (Christian Slater) – after demonstrating he has no soul, Davis loses his mayoral bid by 70 points. He, too, is fired after turning a quiet and easily contained conflict into a national headline. However, across the border, Senator Mitch McConnell falls in love with Davis’ heartless stance on homelessness, poverty, and minorities, and, in turn, immediately appoints Davis as his chief of staff.
The Public wanted to be a milestone
For issues of those chilled to the bone
Yet mediocre review
Thus did it accrue
I’m sorry; the rave is currently on loan
Rated PG-13, 119 Minutes
Director: Emilio Estevez
Writer: Emilio Estevez
Genre: Wishing
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Homeless advocates
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Trumpies
