Bubble



Synopsis
Bubble is filmed documentary style film about what can happen in a work relationship in a small town when a new gal comes to town. Middle-aged Martha takes care of her father, works in a doll factory, and hangs out in a work kind of way with a twenty-something, Kyle. She picks him up and they ride together to the factory, they eat lunch together -- work-social. Then, a new woman – Rose. Rose is young, attractive, has a daughter. So, the only young people in the town go out. By the end of the night, Rose is dead. By the end of the next day, Martha’s in jail.

This movie was released simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and cable television. The actors were all residents of the small town in which the movie was filmed.

Observations
Bubble is a glimpse into the life of Ohio Valley factory-working, big car driving, trailer living America. Martha’s a corn fed woman taking care of herself and her father. Does Martha have a thing for Kyle? Does she see something in him that could take her outside the monotony of their West Virginia factory town? If she does, she doesn’t make it obvious. Sure, she does things for him, but is it maternal or more? Does Martha see Rose as a threat? Martha and Rose are catty to each other, are they two women vying for the affection of the same man? Perhaps director Steven Soderbergh wanted to show us that little people have big lives. This movie is a midwestern tragedy. The actors are direct; the scenery is minimal; the dialogue is realistic. Watch the way the characters look at each other. It’s perfect.

Perhaps it’s because the actors weren’t actors that this movie was so authentic. They were people playing people they knew. The new hussy in town, the heavy-set middle-aged woman, the listless stoner right out of high school – these are people that they knew. And that intimate knowledge of small town America created a peephole that I gazed through for 72 minutes.

Rating:

Amazon's entry for Bubble