Review by Morgan Fee
“Computer Chess” is slightly disorienting. As a fan of Andrew Bujalski’s other films (Mutual Appreciation, Funny Ha Ha), I expected something a bit different from what I got.
Set in a chess-programming tournament in the early 80s and filmed in grainy black and white, the vintage details are flawless. The actors mirror this authenticity; whose awkwardness and discomfort was so convincing that I began to believe Bujalski had cast genuine computer geeks for the project.
One thing that slightly jarred me about the film was what felt its lack of focus. While things certainly happened in the series of scenes that were strung together, there was almost a feeling that a documentary camera had idly floated around a genuine conference with little intention of constructing a traditional narrative.
Usually I am not one to shy away from an atypical story structure, and it was what I had come to expect from a Bujalski movie. With other films of his the disparate and unresolved nature of scenes and snippets is artful and compelling. However, I think what usually holds such loose narratives together is the development of engaging characters and scenes. While Computer Chess’s characters were unusually genuine they remained almost completely opaque which I think is why the film fell slightly flat. The camera took on an inquisitive quality whose random focus kept telling me that each scene was interesting without giving me a sense of why.
That being said, Computer Chess still had its moments. There was a strong sense of irony and elements of the surreal that were somewhat diverting – the idea that there was an in-joke that neither the characters nor audience were being let in on. I developed a strange feeling that the characters and audience were being played with. By the end I couldn’t decide whether this was the film’s best accomplishment or merely frustrating. I left with the impression that there is something I missed – perhaps I did.
