Geek Love

Author(s): Brian Kress
Location: Minneapolis

“Geek Love”

Director: Tim Burton
Adapted Screenplay: Jon August
Cinematography: Philippe Rousselot
Editing: Chris Lebenzon
Production Design: Mark Tildesley

Principal Cast:

Aloysius “Al” Binewski: Steve Buscemi
Lil Binewski: Helena Bonham Carter
Arturo “Arty”: Cody Kasch (Desperate Housewives)
Electra “Elly”: Meghan Tuma (All My Children)
Iphigenia “Iphy”: Alison Tuma (All My Children)
Olympia “Oly”: Abigail Breslin
Fortunato “Chick”: Zane Huett (Desperate Housewives)
Older Arturo: Johnny Depp
Older Electra: Lindsay Greenbush (Little House on the Prairie)
Older Iphigenia: Sidney Greenbush (Little House on the Prairie)
Older Olympia: Renee Zellweger
Older Fortunato: Seth Green
Miranda: Naomi Watts
Old Oly: Ellen Burstyn
Mary Lick: Sharon Stone

Tagline: “If you thought your family was dysfunctional…"

Synopsis: GEEK LOVE is the story of a traveling circus run by Aloysius "Al" Binewski (Buscemi) and his wife, "Crystal" Lil (Carter). When Al's circus begins to fail, the couple devises an idea to breed their own freak show, using various drugs and radioactive material to alter the genes of their children. The children that emerge are Arturo "Arty" (Kasch), a boy with flippers for hands and feet; Electra "Elly" and Iphigenia "Iphy" (the Tuma twins, playing conjoined twins); Olympia "Oly” (Breslin) the hunchback albino dwarf; and Fortunato "Chick" (Huett), the normal looking telekinetic baby of the family -- as well as a number of still-borns kept preserved in jars in a special wing of the freak show.

Two stories are told. The first deals with the Binewski children’s constant vicious struggle against each other, but especially against Arty (later played by Depp) as he develops his own cult: Arturism. Arturism involves members having their limbs amputated so that they can end up like Arty, the cult leader, in their search for the principle he calls PIP – “Peace, Isolation, Purity.” As Arty battles his siblings (later played by twins Lindsay and Sidney Greenbush, Renee Zellweger as Oly and Seth Green as Chick) to maintain control over his followers, mundane aspects of their lives, such as competition between their respective freak shows, slowly begin to take over their lives.

The second story involves Oly’s daughter, Miranda (Watts). Miranda, in her twenties, does not know Oly (now played by Ellen Burstyn) is her mother and lives on a trust fund set up by Oly before she was given up to be raised by nuns at the urging of Arturo, who is Miranda’s father. Oly lives in the same rooming house as Miranda so she can “spy” on her. Miranda has a special defect of her own, a small tail, which she flaunts at a local fetish strip club. Mary Lick (Stone), a wealthy woman who pays poor but attractive women to get operations that disfigure them so that they may live up to their potential instead of becoming sex objects, tries to convince her to have it cut off. Oly’s plan is to stop Lick to protect her daughter. The entirety of GEEK LOVE is narrated by the old Oly as a novel she plans to give to Miranda.

What the press would say:

Tim Burton brings another dark, human tragicomedy to the screen, assembling an expert cast. Ellen Burstyn has the comeback role of her career with the hunchback, albino dwarf Oly. She narrates the “early years” and truly becomes this belabored, but optimistic woman in her older years. Naomi Watts gives a beautiful performance as Miranda, a simple woman living a difficult life. We see her as a truly lost soul. Johnny Depp is haunting and hilarious as the older Arturo. His cultish, slightly psychopathic behavior is both unnerving and hilarious. The children in this production (Cody Kasch, Meghan and Alison Tuma, Zane Huett and the amazing Abigail Breslin) are astounding, especially Ms. Breslin as Young Oly. Renee Zellweger has some beautiful moments as Older Oly. Steve Buscemi and Helena Bonham Carter are excellent in small roles as Al and Lil Binewski, the parents of the freak show family. Finally, Sharon Stone gives a stellar performance as they conniving, sleazy, pushy Mary Lick.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Best Picture
Best Director: Tim Burton
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jon August
Best Actress: Ellen Burstyn
Best Supporting Actor: Johnny Depp
Best Supporting Actress: Abigail Breslin
Best Supporting Actress: Naomi Watts
Best Supporting Actress: Sharon Stone