#albertbirney

Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a sucker for a unique premise on a film.  Lately, there’s been an embracing of the absurd approach to film, which has led to a goldmine in terms of film premises to select from.  While combing through the SXSW Film Festival 2017 selections on Amazon Prime, I came across Sylvio, which looked promising, and certainly did not disappoint.

Sylvio (Sylvio Bernardi) is a debt-collector with troubles performing his job via phone due to the fact that, because he is a gorilla, he cannot speak.  Not being able to speak does not stop him from being expressive, however, as he clearly has a sense of style, and his affinity for puppetry is a true talent he possesses and acts upon, in turn creating extremely expressive works of art with his puppetry.  After being forced to make house calls for his job due to his inability to perform his job by phone, Sylvio stumbles into the opportunity of a lifetime by accidentally replacing scheduled talent on a local television show.  Due to public demand, host Al Reynolds (Kentucker Audley) seeks the services of Sylvio and his puppets for the television show, altering the lives of everyone involved.

Dialogue, for over a century, has been a key component to films, especially those looking to gain widespread exposure and make box office impact.  Sylvio scoffs in the face of that approach, however, by making our protagonist extremely expressive without ever having him utter a sound.  Sylvio finds ways to express himself in his human-like mannerisms, the way he carries himself, his style of dress, the aforementioned puppetry and more.  Even with a computer at his disposal to vocally dictate what he types, Syvio opts to let his actions speak for him.  The entire performance, in my opinion, is like one continuous brilliant piece of performance art.

The absurd nature of the film comes in the form of the extremely dry humor and the lack of reaction from humans in regards to Sylvio.  Nobody questions his existence, his ability to work a day job, or anything else about his nature.  Even the smartest primates would have infinite struggles integrating themselves into society and communicating as effortlessly as Sylvio does, down to details like his ownership of an identification card.  The humans that don’t treat him as a standard person treat him like an object used for their entertainment or opportunity to succeed, be it J.J. (Peter Davis) the agent or the bullies that taunt Sylvio in hopes of him smashing something for their social media accounts.  Even Sylvio’s bold and brash color palette for his outfits fly in the face of the suits and casual wear adorned by the remainder of the individuals that populate the world of the film.

At its core, Sylvio may be the most pitch-perfect ode to misunderstood art in years.  By pure luck, Sylvio is made into a star, and not even for what he considers to be a talent of his.  Instantly, his world is changed, and opportunities are afforded to him, but he is forced to leave behind what he considers his true calling in order to succeed by essentially (and, at a point, literally) becoming a clown.  It is only after great struggle, great loss and making a true stand that Sylvio is allowed a chance to showcase his true art, and even then it is not obvious whether or not the public at large, or his benefactors, will accept it on the same level he intends it to be when he creates it.  It is only through a series of bold risks and freak opportunities that Sylvio finds his calling, and a truly rewarding place for him to implement his calling.

Sylvio Bernardi (we may never know who is truly underneath the gorilla suit) is silent acting gold in this film... his confidence and his unsure nature take turns revealing themselves, and his way of navigating through the world around him is endlessly entertaining.  Tallie Medel does a great job of being both the producer of the fictional TV show in the film, and as a voice of reason throughout the absurdity, often bringing things down to their base level in terms of relatability and understanding.  Co-director Kentucker Audley goes through a wonderful character arc as offbeat TV personality turned friend and confidant to Sylvio.  Peter Davis brings in the insincerity and a touch of sleaze as J.J., the opportunist turned opportunity maker.