For all its bizarre "mistakes" — fuck-ups in a film about fuck-ups — Perry's film ultimately reveals itself to be rather precisely composed: the build to its prolonged, dreamlike climax is a methodical grind. The Color Wheel requires a brand of empathy mainstream audiences are unaccustomed to — note the similar, unduly harsh reaction to Lena Dunham's character in HBO's Girls, a more tactful cousin to Colin and J.R. — but rewards it with nearly revolutionary insight.
THE COLOR WHEEL | Directed by Alex Ross Perry | Distributed by Cinema Conservancy | 83 minutes | SPACE Gallery, May 31 @ 7:30 pm | $7 | space538.org
