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One gripe I have about the glut of cinematic and television content in streamers is a lack of visual style. You won’t find that problem with “Hippo,” a midnight movie family drama/thriller that is one of my favorite films of the year. Director Mark H. Rapaport talks about his production company Kinematics, his debut feature “Hippo,” and why he is passionate about the moving image.
HIPPO – Kimball Farley as “Hippo” in the dark comedy, HIPPO, a Kinematics release. Photo courtesy of Kinematics.
The tale centers on “Hippo” (Kimball Farley), a video game addicted teen whose world consists of his sister Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger), a Hungarian Catholic immigrant, and their eccentric mother Ethel (Eliza Roberts). Hippo’s distorted view of the world and his mental instability may bring harm into this family’s insular world, and ultimately Buttercup might have to reconsider her connection with this adopted family. Eric Roberts serves as “Hippo’s” narrator.
A big part of my conversation with Mark H. Rapaport focused on his visual approach to “Hippo.” William Babcock, who shot Rapaport’s short “Andronicus,” is the picture’s cinematographer, and “Hippo” looks absolutely gorgeous in black and white.
Rapaport’s affinity for Alfred Hitchcock films, coupled with his passion for the moving image, is one of the reasons why “Hippo” is a feast for the eyes. Cinephiles may stereotype “Hippo” as an artsy, fringe indie picture, but thankfully this feature adds much more depth to the equation.
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