Fun

Psychologist Jane (Leslie Hope) and journalist John (William P. Moses), who writes for sensationalistic Tomorrow magazine, meet at a grim juvenile facility to interview two 15-year-old girls, Hillary (Humphrey) and Bonnie (Witt). The teens, who are incarcerated separately, have just been convicted of the thrill-kill murder of a kindly old woman, Mrs. Farmer (Ania Suli). They met each other only a day before committing the crime, and steadfastly declare that they did it for fun. The story unfolds in a series of color flashbacks, alternating with black-and-white footage in which the girls are interviewed by Jane and John.

Both in flashback and in present-time footage, it's apparent that the differences between the girls go beyond their looks. Dark-haired, heavily made-up Hillary is angry and defensive, a loner and a compulsive diarist whose friendship with Bonnie is the most important thing in her life. The red-haired, slightly plump Bonnie is hyperactive, extroverted, and given to wild flights of fancy. When Hillary reveals that she was raped by her father at the age of 10, Bonnie tells her that she was sexually assaulted by her brother. We later learn that Bonnie has no brother and is a virgin.

In flashbacks, we learn what happened on the fateful day. The girls meet at a suburban bus stop. During the long walk home, they throw pennies off an overpass at the cars below, mess around in strip malls and video game emporiums, shoplift lipstick, and talk. They play a mean-spirited game, ringing people's doors and saying they need help, then insulting the potential good Samaritans and running off, laughing. They decide to run away together, and Hillary suggests robbing one of the houses. Pretending to be sisters and claiming that Bonnie is sick, they gain entry to Mrs. Farmer's house. Bonnie finds a knife and stabs Mrs. Farmer to death. The girls flee, pausing at a gas station to wash the blood off Bonnie's face and out of her hair. They return to Hillary's house and snuggle up in bed together, where they're found by the police.

During the interviews, John tries to ingratiate himself with Hillary. He suggests publishing some of her diary entries in the magazine, and tells her he'll try to persuade the authorities to let her see Bonnie. John also reveals to Hillary that Bonnie--who confessed to the crime before she was even asked about it--had lied to her repeatedly. Jane sympathizes with Bonnie, suspecting incorrectly that Hillary instigated the crime. She later reveals to Hillary her own abusive background, but fails to form a bond with the girl.

John leaves, having collected enough material for his story. Hillary is transferred to another institution, and Bonnie throws herself off the roof. John calls Hillary for her reaction, and she says: "No comment." She's taken to the exercise yard, where the other inmates give her a wide berth. For the first time, color bleeds into the present-day footage.

Adapted by James Bosley from his own play, "Fun," and directed by Rafal Zielinski--who's best known for such exploitation fare as SCREWBALLS (1984), VALET GIRLS (1987), and UNDER SURVEILLANCE (1991)--FUN tackles a complex subject about which it has nothing new to say. Despite the strong performances of the two girls, the teens are ciphers. By framing the story with interviews, Zielinski and Bosley lead viewers to believe that the film will be a search for the truth behind the sensationalistic story, but it's not. The relationship between the two interviewers, who crudely represent the exploitative media and psychiatric establishments, is stilted, and John and Jane never emerge as characters: they're only mouthpieces for cliched positions. The use of color and B&W footage is also obvious: the day of fun is in color because it was the high point of the girls' lives, while the grim present is drearily monochromatic.

Though laudably serious in intent, FUN is woefully hackneyed in execution. (Violence, profanity, adult situations.) leave a comment