1994/2006
"Clean, Shaven" is not a film easily forgotten "? a shattering, immersive experience in which viewers are thrown headlong into the abyss of mental illness, placed in the fractured, confused mind of a schizophrenic (the masterful Peter Greene) as he tries to track down his daughter following his release from an institution.
A sensory assault of painstaking skill, Lodge Kerrigan's micro-budget movie remains one of the Nineties' more unshakable debuts; as recently as last year, Kerrigan returned to similar thematic and stylistic territory with the equally underappreciated "Keane" "? while arguably stronger than "Clean, Shaven," there's an elemental power to the 1994 film, allowing it to slip under your skin and stay there.
The Criterion Collection rescues another important work from semi-obscurity with this terrific disc, boasting sterling video and audio, along with fascinating supplements "? the crown jewel of which is a commentary track featuring Steven Soderbergh interviewing Kerrigan. Highly recommended.
"?Preston Jones
