''Factotum'' is a 2005 French-Norwegian

dark Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

co-written and directed by

Bent Hamer Bent Hamer (born 18 December 1956) is a film director, writer and producer, born in Sandefjord, Norway in 1956. Biography Hamer studied film theory and literature at the University of Stockholm and the Stockholm Film School. In addition to his f ...

, adapted from the 1975 novel of the same name by

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...

. It stars

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

as Bukowski’s alter ego,

Henry Chinaski Henry Charles "Hank" Chinaski is the literary alter ego of the American writer Charles Bukowski, appearing in five of Bukowski's novels, a number of his short stories and poems, and the films '' Barfly'' and ''Factotum''. Although much of Chinask ...

. Although events in the book take place in Los Angeles in the 1940s, the film has a contemporary setting.

Plot

Henry 'Hank' Chinaski (

) is working toward becoming a writer while struggling with

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and holding various

menial A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

jobs. The film follows Chinaski as he works at, and gets fired from, various jobs, which include cleaning a massive sculpture, delivering ice, working at a pickle factory, and at a bicycle supply warehouse. In the course of sampling the smorgasbord of short-lived occupations, he meets up with assorted

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...

, frequently alcoholic characters. The first woman Chinaski meets in a bar becomes his most consistent companion throughout the film. Jan (

Lili Taylor Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films '' Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s ...

), like Chinaski, is an alcoholic. He moves in and becomes her lover and drinking partner. They co-exist comfortably in languid

squalor Squalor refers to filthiness and degradation, as from neglect or poverty. Squalor may also refer to: * ''Squalor'' (comic), a limited series by Stefan Petrucha and Tom Sutton * Student squalor, various situations of student housing * Senile S ...

until Chinaski becomes upset after an altercation where he beats a wealthy man at the racing track who refuses to give up his seat. Initially polite, Chinaski assaults the man after Jan challenges his behavior. Soon after, Chinaski leaves Jan. Unemployed again and scoring his next drink, Hank meets another female barfly, Laura (

Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She came to prominence as a cast member on ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'' in 1987. After having minor roles in a few films, she came to international attention ...

), who feels sorry for Chinaski and helps him procure alcohol with the help of her wealthy " sugar daddy" Pierre, an eccentric older man. After a strange misadventure on Pierre's boat, Chinaski briefly returns to Jan, who is now working as a chambermaid at a hotel. A pivotal scene occurs with Jan after Chinaski discovers that he has caught a case of the "crabs" from her. Chinaski gains work but quickly loses his job after deciding to drink instead of completing cleaning a large statue. Chinaski and Jan again break up after realizing their relationship has become boring and predictable and that they no longer really need each other. Jan moves in with a wealthy man who was the person assaulted before by Chinaski. By the film's end Chinaski finds that he is most comfortable being alone with just his alcohol and his writing to keep him company. In the final scene Chinaski justifies his lifestyle. While drinking, and watching a topless pole dancer, he describes the costs, persistence needed, and rewards of writing. In voiceover he says, "If you're going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don't even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind... You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It's the only good fight there is."

Cast

as Jan *

as Laura *Bruce Bohne as Gas Station Owner *

Adrienne Shelly Adrienne Levine (June 24, 1966 – November 1, 2006), better known by the stage name Adrienne Shelly (sometimes credited as Adrienne Shelley), was an American actress, film director and screenwriter. She became known for roles in independen ...

as Jerry *

Fisher Stevens Fisher Stevens (born Steven Fisher; November 27, 1963) is an American actor, director, producer and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Ben in ''Short Circuit'' and ''Short Circuit 2'', Chuck Fishman on the 1990s televis ...

as Manny * Karen Young as Grace *

Didier Flamand Didier Flamand (born 12 March 1947) is a French actor and theatre director. He has appeared in more than 200 films and television shows since 1973. He starred in Raúl Ruiz's 1978 film ''The Suspended Vocation ''The Suspended Vocation'' (fre ...

as Pierre *Punnavith Koy as Actor

Production

The film is principally a French-Norwegian co-production, although with an American cast. It was released in Norway in 2005 and distributed in the U.S. by IFC Films in 2006. It was released on DVD in the U.S. on 26 December 2006. Bukowski's

picaresque novel The picaresque novel (Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for " rogue" or "rascal") is a genre of prose fiction. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low social class, who lives by his wits in a corrup ...

, also titled ''

Factotum Factotum may refer to: *A handyman, employed as a servant * ''Factotum'' (novel), a 1975 novel by Charles Bukowski * ''Factotum'' (film), a 2005 film adaptation of the novel * Factotum (arts organisation), an arts organisation based in Belfast * fa ...

'', was published in 1975. The book and the film both center on the character of

, Bukowski’s

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

, who appears in much of his fiction. Although events in the book take place in Los Angeles in the 1940s, the film has a contemporary setting, and was shot in the twin cities of

Minneapolis–Saint Paul Minneapolis–Saint Paul is a metropolitan area in the Upper Midwestern United States centered around the confluence of the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is commonly known as the Twin Cities ...

, Minnesota, including the then-vacant Fairmont Hotel on

Hennepin Avenue Hennepin Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It runs from Lakewood Cemetery (at West 36th Street), north through the Uptown District of Southwest Minneapolis, through the Virginia Triangle, the former "Bottleneck" a ...

and

Palmer's Bar Palmer's Bar is a dive bar and music venue located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Known for its strong drinks, the bar serves as a live music venue at night. The bar was founded in 1906 and has had over a dozen ow ...

on the West Bank.

Bukowski's poems

The script also makes use of Bukowski's poems published in ''What Matters Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire'' and ''The Days Run Aways Like Horses Over the Hill'', and some of Bukowski's notebook entries published in ''

The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship ''The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship'' is a collection of extracts from the journals of Charles Bukowski, spanning 1991 to 1993. The book was first published in 1998 with illustrations by Robert Crumb. The diary ...

''.See "Opening Credits" of film, ''Factotum''. For example, Matt Dillon reads the poem "Roll the Dice" (from ''What Matters Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire'') in a

voiceover Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...

at the end of the film.

Awards

*Nominee Best Director - Norwegian Academy Awards (Bent Hamer) *Winner Best Director - Copenhagen International Film Festival (Bent Hamer) *Winner Best Actress - Copenhagen International Film Festival (Lili Taylor) *Winner Best Supporting Actress - San Diego Film Critics Society (Lili Taylor) *Nominee Golden Spike - Valladolid International Film Festival (Bent Hamer)

References

External links

* * *
Factotum Quotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Factotum (Film) 2005 films 2005 comedy-drama films American comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films English-language French films English-language Norwegian films Films about alcoholism Films about writers Films based on works by Charles Bukowski Films directed by Bent Hamer Films set in the United States Films shot in Minnesota French comedy-drama films Norwegian comedy-drama films 2005 comedy films 2005 drama films 2000s American films 2000s French films