If I didn't know the director of Taken In I might think that Chris White was much older. His new film begins with a long and almost wordless section after the arrival of Simon (Tim Brosnan) and his daughter Brooklyn (the arresting Madelaine Hoptry) at what appears to be a garish, Mexican-themed hotel and theme park. (Taken In was shot here.) White and cinematographer Daniel McCord don't let the location become a distraction though; nor is Taken In a self-consciously eccentric work. McCord's black and white photography gives the start of Simon and Brooklyn's highway interlude the quality of a dream; There's an awkward dinner interrupted only by a waitress named Dawn (Traysie Amick), a trip to a gift shop (Brooklyn buys, Simon pays) and an nighttime elevator ride to an observation point where the silence between these two really sets in. Where have these two been, and where are they going? It would be easy (though more expensive) to cue our feelings with a song or some expository dialogue here, but White has the maturity to let the mood slowly roll out in a way that feels natural and also non-American. Have you ever watched a quiet foreign film after a run of loud American action movies? The beginning of Taken In has a likewise jarring effect. Brosnan and Hoptry nail these moments of unspoken tension; we want to know what's going on but White tells us through observed behavior as opposed to prodding us with music and directorial tricks.
The rest of Taken In unfolds over the weekend that Simon and Brooklyn spend at the hotel. Brooklyn, it develops, is being taken by her father back to a school chosen especially to meet her unarticulated needs. Dawn the waitress returns, and an earnest young man named Dillon (Ronnie Gunter) shows up who's prepared to give Brooklyn a way out of her troubles. The heart of the film finally arrives in a long, raw argument between Brooklyn and Simon in their hotel room. White and Hoptry have pulled off something tricky and admirable with the character of Brooklyn. Hoptry's Brooklyn is once seen sitting by a pool, but she's shy and tentative with Dillon and Taken In isn't a story of emerging womanhood or outrageous teenage behavior. Brooklyn is balanced exactly (and I mean exactly at the moment the film is occurring) on the edge of needing her father more than ever and not wanting him around and Madelaine Hoptry plays that perfectly in Brooklyn's speech to her father. It's a moment in a person's life that's too often treated with silliness in the movies, but by making the choice to be quiet White and Hoptry have given it great dignity. Tim Brosnan plays Simon, a corporate fixer too absent from his daughter's life, with a huffy remove that covers up great insecurity. A choice to "walk away from the table" is an easy choice for Simon, but life rarely lets us do that where our families are concerned and Taken In end with a genuine moment of grace between parent and child.
I've outlined my biases in favor of Taken In above, but my level of admiration for its confidence, tone, and for the creative choices made is genuine. I'm proud of my friends Chris, Madelaine, and Traysie, and excited to follow the future of a talented director whose voice could take him anywhere.
(photo by Chris White)
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