Theory of Achievement (1991)

Review by All Movie Guide
After the turn of the 21st century, a young artist living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn might wonder at Hal Hartley's prophetic short, Theory of Achievement. Other than a smokestack along the Brooklyn-Queens expressway backdropped by a green-domed church, however, the film refrains from showing much of Williamsburg. Instead, there are tight shots in close quarters of white-walled apartments and anonymous diners, with intermittent persuasions by a young real estate agent of Brooklyn's inherent advantages to an artist. The visual simplicity shifts focus to the ponderous dialogue Hartley is known for, this time on rants about self, art, and work. Affections for quotations pour from his characters; they interact as if in thought and not in reality. However, the film seems to exist completely in its own strangeness, even during accordion ditties, so the poetic dialogue becomes less a distraction than an accomplice in the contemplative mood of the piece. Hartley's dry sense of humor feels particularly dry in Theory of Achievement, as it depicts the somber reality of a struggling artist, leaving out the more overt comedy found in his other films. Irony, instead, flavors the subdued love affairs, the embittered college-graduate strife for success, and the modern-day eternal quest for meaning in an urban space. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide