BIT PARTS
Directed by Dave Reda
2006 – 80 Minutes/Widescreen
DVD Provided by Cinema Epoch
Article written by Craig Hamann

BIT PARTS is an interesting title for two reasons. First, it appeals to the gorehounds out there who are always looking for films with plenty of dismemberment. Second, because here it basically describes the screenplay, which freely cannibalizes pieces of plot points from other movies. For example, there are phony acting auditions that lead to the pretty wannabe actresses getting murdered. We’ve all seen that before. Then there is the surgeon who accidentally disfigures his lovely daughter in a car accident and wants to rebuild her face and body through plastic surgery. Sound familiar? Not surprisingly, he wants to slice “bit parts” (eyes, nose, mouth, breasts, etc.) from the attractive murdered actresses and surgically place them on his daughter. Okay, there is nothing original in the story, but filmmaker Dave Reda tries to compensate for the been-there-done-that dynamic by applying a stylized signature to his film. Unfortunately, he’s only moderately successful.

No doubt BIT PARTS is a labor of love project. It took a long time to put it together and it’s obvious that everyone behind and in front of the camera gave it their all. But try as they might, the production comes up short in several meaningful ways. The screenplay is the biggest problem. Not only does it suffer from being derivative, it also contains glaring plot contrivances and calls for voiceover expositional exchanges between characters to fill in information gaps. Even worse, there are too many time wasting filler scenes that are weighted down with clunky dialogue. The editing is equally inconsistent. It will be sharp for a few scenes and then it suddenly veers off into awkward cuts, leading to digressional moments that apparently are supposed to propel the plot along but instead serve to kill any potential suspense. The music score runs hot and cold, with the cold part being far too melodramatic for what is taking place on the screen.

Perhaps most puzzling is the work by director/producer/actor Dave Reda. As a director, he attempts some visual tricks to spice up the film. In some ways the project resembles movies from the past, providing tributes to Hitchcock’s PSYCHO and Georges Franju’s EYES WITHOUT A FACE, not to mention some tonal qualities from 70’s horror flicks. But here the visuals mostly feel like add-ons or afterthoughts, making them seem more gimmicky than a heartfelt artistic statement should be. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not impossible to see what Reda is trying to do. I respect the attempt but I simply didn’t think it worked all that well. The film lacks the underlying dread that PSYCHO possesses and it’s not nearly as eerily surreal as EYES WITHOUT A FACE. On the other hand, I’m sure genre fans will appreciate the film’s weirdness factor, which rivals some of the insanities that were present in many of the cooler indie 70’s horror releases.

I always get suspicious when directors decide to cast themselves in leading roles. For whatever reason, maybe due to budget, Reda found it necessary to play the male lead that helps a distraught lady search for her missing younger sister. It’s possible that Reda tried to carry too much on his plate because his performance is nothing to write home about. In fact, most of the acting in the film seems stilted, with many of the performers playing results. Of course, it should be noted that some of the characters are difficult to play. This is especially true regarding the role of Maggie, the girl who has been disfigured in the car accident. Michelle Angel tries to balance ingénue-like pathos with over-the-top craziness. She doesn’t have the acting chops to completely accomplish the task, but she deserves kudos for her effort.

Cinema Epoch offers a DVD with adequate sound and picture quality. There is nothing to write home about, but there is nothing to complain about either. Extras include a director’s commentary, which is energetic and fun, a NBC interview with Reda, and the theatrical trailer. As for the film, BIT PARTS isn’t perfect but has its own off-the-wall charm. It’s funny in several places and has some artistic style. Given the meager budget, it even contains rather respectable gore effects. But overall, the screenplay is too weak, the acting only so-so, and the production work too limited for me to recommend it to all genre fans.