Review: The Man Without a Face

Set in the late 60s, Nick Stahl stars as a sensitive 12 year-old who wishes he knew more about his father, whom his well-meaning but self-absorbed thrice-married mother (Margaret Whitton) refuses to talk about, and who his bitchy older half-sister (Fay Masterson) seems to know more about than she’ll let on too. His younger half-sister (Gaby Hoffmann) is friendly enough, but kind of annoying and not much help. He wants to escape his unhappy home life by going to a military boarding school that his father apparently attended, but having already failed the entrance exam, his mother is reluctant to let him take it again. So Stahl decides to find himself a tutor, and thinks he’s found the perfect one in the facially disfigure, aloof town outcast Mel Gibson. Why this guy? Because he’s a former teacher. At first, Gibson is completely and abruptly against the idea, but seeing that the boy is adamant, he relents and begins teaching him, albeit in a quite harsh and strict manner. Before long, though, a bond forms between the two, which arouses the suspicions of their small community, especially in light of certain rumours about the older man’s past as a teacher. Richard Masur plays Whitton’s latest boyfriend, a dorky hippie professor, and Geoffrey Lewis is the town sheriff.

 

Strange as it may seem given his subsequent directorial efforts and frankly volatile public persona of recent decades, the directorial debut of actor Mel Gibson was this sensitive, literate coming-of-age flick from 1993. Aside from maybe “Tim” and “Forever Young”, there’s nothing in his filmography as actor or director that would suggest this as the kind of thing he’d make his directing debut with. It’s a very interesting choice that just goes to show Mad Mel sure is a complex guy. Crudely, one could call this “The Elephant Man” meets “Dead Poets Society”, but I prefer to simply say that it’s a really damn good movie.

 

Nick Stahl has had an uneven and rather troubled life/career, but gives an excellent lead performance here, especially for an acting debut. He’s an underrated talent, I think. I particularly liked his almost “Wonder Years”-like wry narration, and his family are perfectly annoying, with young Gaby Hoffmann perhaps the most likeable of the bunch. Margaret Whitton probably should’ve had a more fruitful career on screen I think, and this is easily British-born Fay Masterson’s best work as the spiteful older sister. As for Gibson himself, he’s a spot-on casting choice as he’s intimidating, aloof, and mysterious enough, yet with enough innate trustworthiness (on screen at least) to convince with all facets of this character. The facial makeup on him is pretty good, too I must say and at no point does it hamper his performance or restrict him. Special mention must go to Richard Masur, who is hilarious as a rather nerdy hippie Yale professor (!) who tries to ingratiate himself with Stahl to little success. Veteran character actor Geoffrey Lewis is also terrific as the well-meaning town sheriff. 

 

Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s the “Wonder Years” similarities that have me gravitating towards this one. Some will find the material a tad simplistic, but Gibson never turns into a cuddly Mr. Miyagi or anything, his character had a brittle and anti-social quality, and Stahl’s character is frankly a little prick at times. In addition to its coming of age/nostalgic elements and pro-literature leanings, the film is most strongly an indictment of small town small-mindedness and gossip, and prejudice. It may not be the most original or daring film but it’s a strong film and one of the best-ever debut films from an actor-turned director. Based on a novel by Isabelle Holland, the screenplay is by Malcolm MacRury (who has a cameo near the end). 

 

Rating: B+