Alive from Off Center
Theory of Achievement / Ambition
S7 • E3 Jul 26, 1991 25m
This program consists of two quirky, short comedic films by writer/director Hal Hartley: "Theory of Achievement" and "Ambition." "Theory of Achievement" is set in Williamsburg, New York -- "the Paris of Brooklyn" -- and concerns the intermingling of several overeducated, underemployed young adults who ruminate on the nature of art and life, as they search for cheap apartments while avoiding the drudgery of unsatisfying employment. "Ambition" concerns a man who studies his own intense need to accomplish great things in a world that is "a dangerous and uncertain place." With dialogue and action that is absurdly comic, this film examines the ideals and contradictions of desire.