| Factotum | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Bent Hamer |
| Produced by | Bent Hamer Jim Stark |
| Starring | Matt Dillon Lili Taylor Marisa Tomei |
| Distributed by | IFC Films (US) Icon Entertainment International (UK) |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Language | English |
Factotum is a 2005 film directed by Bent Hamer, adapted from the novel of the same name by Charles Bukowski. The script also makes use of poems published in What Matters Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire and The Days Run Aways Like Horses Over the Hill as well as some of Bukowski's notebook entries published in The Captain Is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship.[1] For example, Matt Dillon reads the poem "Roll The Dice" (from the book What Matters Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire) in a voiceover at the end of the film.
The film is principally a French-Norwegian co-production, although with an American cast. It was released in Norway in 2005 and distributed in the U.S. by IFC Films in 2006. It was released on DVD in the U.S. on 26 December 2006.
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Bukowski's book, which is also titled Factotum, was published in 1975. The book centers on the character of Henry Chinaski, who is widely known to be Bukowski’s alter ego.
In the film, Chinaski (Matt Dillon) is working toward becoming a writer and follows his own advice that "If you're going to try, go all the way." The film follows Chinaski's various jobs and relationships with women. The only constants in Chinaski's life (shown in repeated scenes throughout the film) seem to be drinking and writing. Chinaski has a more lasting relationship with one woman, Jan (Lili Taylor), who is also a penurious alcoholic. Henry parts with her after asserting that they no longer need each other. Chinaski meets and eventually breaks up with Laura, another barfly played by Marisa Tomei. He continues writing and, temporarily at least, ends up "alone with the gods". Although the novel takes place around 1944, the film has a contemporary setting.
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