“Pet Shop Days,” the debut feature by director/co-writer Olmo Schnabel (son of painter/filmmaker Julian), is a wonderfully lurid little film. This intense drama immerses viewers in the offbeat romance that develops between Alejandro (Dario Yazbek Bernal) and Jack (co-writer Jack Irv), who meet in New York City, hang out, hook up, and eventually commit crimes together.
The vibe throughout is seedy as scenes unfold in dark drug dens and dimly lit strip clubs. But Schnabel also films scenes in tony apartment buildings, where some really fine art graces the walls. The filmmaker is more interested in atmosphere than plot, as his edgy filmmaking style attests. In the opening sequence, set in Mexico, he uses whip pans and Dutch angles to pull focus. Once the story shifts to New York, the film has a very urgent on-the-ground approach following the reckless Alejandro as he gets involved with the naive Jack. In addition, the editing is experimental, with some flashbacks intercut with action to fill in narrative details or provide some time jumps.
The guys first connect in earnest when Ale arrives shirtless but wearing a suit he was being fitted for (and stole) at the pet shop where Jack works. Jack’s curiosity is piqued when the attractive Ale suggests they might have fun together. When they head out to a drug den, Ale and Jack start having sex with a pair of women before kissing and coupling up with each other. Ale dismisses their night of passion, saying, “It’s OK. We had fun.” But Jack has a more complex response to the magnetic stranger who shakes up his life. (Both guys can be read as bisexual.)
Schnabel and Irv might have told the story from Jack’s point of view, but it is better that Ale is the focus because he is such a loose cannon. Watching Bernal strut his way through “Pet Shop Days” without much concern for others is compelling. The actor serves up insouciance with sex appeal in every scene, and his cocky performance is riveting even though his character is often unlikable. Ale shamelessly tries to seduce a room service waiter who chastens him about keeping a credit card on file, and in one of the film’s most discussion-worthy sequences, Ale ends a planned threesome with Jack and Riley (Abella Danger) a sex worker, because she creates an unacceptable mess in the bathroom.
It is deliberately unclear if Ale has feelings for Jack or is just using him, and viewers can decide if their romance is real. Jack does confess to Ale — while naked in a sauna no less — “Ever since we met, I feel different about everything in my life.” To which Ale responds, “I’m not good for you.” Amusingly, just a few scenes earlier, Jack has come out to his family at a dinner by announcing he and Ale have had their cocks in each other’s mouths.
“Pet Shop Days” revels in such “provocative” moments, but Jack is rebelling against his wealthy father, Francis (Willem Dafoe) — just as Ale is defying his rich dad, Castro (Jordi Mollà). One subplot has Castro sending Walker (Louis Cancelmi) to New York to bring Ale back home. Another subplot has Jack catching Francis cheating on his mother, Diana (Emmanuelle Seigner), with Andy (Camille Rowe), his sister Lucy’s (Grace Brennan) tutor.
These father/son subplots influence Ale and Jack, but in their efforts to strike out on their own, Ale devises a scheme to rob rich women who frequent the pet store. Ale poses as a delivery man while Jack, in drag, helps him steal cash and jewelry. A later scene has Ale in Jack’s home, putting on Diana’s clothes which leads to Jack being forbidden to see Ale. (The film revels in sexual fluidity.)
Schnabel and Irv overstuff their film with ideas and characters, but they do not create much in the way of dramatic tension. There are a few suspenseful moments — one dangerous robbery, a car chase — but the lack of an overarching point to all that transpires can be frustrating. The film characters all behave selfishly, which does not give viewers much enough reason to invest in them or Jack and Ale’s relationship.
While Bernal is fun to watch because Ale speaks and acts impetuously, Irv gives a more nuanced performance because Jack’s character develops over the course of the film. Jack just wants to be loved; his puppy-dog loyalty toward Ale — and bad decision making — turns into concern, but his relationship empowers Jack to take charge of his life. Irv plays his character’s naïveté well.
The gritty romance “Pet Shop Days” is uneven, and not for everyone, but the visuals and performances never make it uninteresting.
“Pet Shop Days” | Directed by Olmo Schnabel | Opening March 15 at the Roxy Cinema | Distributed by Utopia
