2002 Great Lakes Independent Film Festival

Resin

Category: Narrative Feature  1hr 27min
Director: Vladimir Gyorski

The 23rd certified Dogma film deals with the injustices of the malicious American legal system, especially as it relates to the so-called "war" on drugs; in this respect, it blows the comparatively childish Traffic right out of the bong water. The story concerns the aimless Zeke (David Alvarado), a genial vagabond and small-scale pot dealer, who through a chain of unfortunate events becomes embroiled in a legal nightmare of Kafkaesque proportions. Accosted by a group of drunken frat boys, he defends himself with a skateboard and is charged with assault. When he's busted for pot for the second time in two months, Zeke finds himself subject to California's controversial "three-strikes" law and faces a life sentence—something he is clearly unable to serve.

The Dogma Vow of Chastity, considered by some to be a coy marketing tool, works staggeringly well to ratchet up Resin's level of realism, already well established by the manner in which the filmmakers capture the low-key ambiance of Zeke's Santa Barbara community. Shooting with a digital, handheld camera and using only natural light, this vérité-style drama builds to a fascinating, tension-filled legal Catch-22—real prosecutors, district attorneys and judges lend an unmistakable authenticity to the fatalistic proceedings. Even more staggering is the understanding that Zeke's story is typical in California, where there are more than 3,000 nonviolent offenders currently serving 25 years to life for minor felonies.