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Whether it be a 20-year-old screenplay tucked in a drawer or an on-again, off-again, long-cherished dream project, authors don't always have the kind of long-term insight to guide them through the beloved, dreaded labor of love. Robert Towne's new 30-year dream project, Ask the Dust is no exception.
Based on the 1939 cult novel by John Fante—which Towne discovered while researching Chinatown—Ask the Dust tells the story of a young Italian-American writer, Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell), who lives in a cheap Los Angeles hotel and types away at his dream of success.
Down to his last nickel, he splurges on a cup of coffee in a local cantina and finds himself both drawn to and repelled by a Mexican barmaid, Camilla (Salma Hayek).
The bulk of the movie concerns this mismatched pair trying to decipher their complex feelings for one another, and attempting to overcome their racial mistrust and even their own self-loathing.
Beautifully photographed with a golden gleam by Caleb Deschanel (The Black Stallion, The Natural), the film's first half plays fairly well, as Towne dilutes the heavy material with a good dose of early Los Angeles atmosphere.
Old pro Donald Sutherland helps, playing Arturo's neighbor in the little hotel, teetering around in a gnarled bathrobe, perhaps half-drunk or even half-insane, telling his entire life story in the pauses between words. If the camera wandered over to another part of town, we might even catch a glimpse of Jake Gittes or Evelyn Mulwray going about their business. If only Ask the Dust could have remained at this level, but Arturo and Camilla eventually succumb to their passion and retreat to a beach house, away from the prying eyes of racists who would frown on their union. It's here that Arturo teaches Camilla to read and where Camilla begins coughing (movie buffs already know what that means).
This more focused, more distilled second half brings with it more troubles. The film seethes with anger and hatred, and neither Farrell nor Hayek seem to know how to concentrate or channel it. (Perhaps this is Towne's failing as director?) Rather than finding an easy flow, the characters begin to work against us, and the film outstays its welcome. Surely the vision of Ask the Dust that played in Towne's head for 30 years was better than this.