Strange doesn't begin to describe this film, which features three of the coldest, most unpleasant movie characters I've seen in some time - which wouldn't necessarily be bad in itself, if only the characters were more interesting. None commands our sympathy; not the passive/aggressive Theo, nor the contemptuous Vivien, nor the enigmatic Reingard. Basically, "Negatives" is the story of a selfish, ineffectual man who exchanges one pathetic fantasy role for another. "Peanuts" fans will recall how Snoopy, imagining himself to be a World War I flying ace, sat atop his doghouse, pretending it was a Sopwith Camel; Theo's embrace of Baron von Richthofen reaches an even more ludicrous height (both figuratively and literally). Director Peter Medak's deliberate pacing makes you feel as though there is some Great Meaning invested in this movie. My question is: What on earth is it?
