The Humanity of Matt Johnson’s “TONY”
We’ve been doing a lot of talking this month on Don’t Tell about the depth an ounce of humanity adds to a story. With Lanterns and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, that brand of humanity comes in the form of the locality of their narratives. A level of banter and chemistry that feels crucial to the characters of any work can help it feel that much more immersive, in its work and who the major players of the film are. Last night I went to go see A24’s Tony, directed by Matt Johnson (Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, BlackBerry), a biographical drama about the summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts that jumpstarted Anthony Bourdain’s career in culinary authorship and the art itself. The film is full of a small-town culture that I find incredibly particular to replicate on screen, the cast riffing off each other in such a close-knit way you’d think they were working in that kitchen for years prior.
Dominic Sessa portrays a young Anthony Bourdain, a troubled young writer studying at Vassar College in hopes of landing a writing fellowship on the east coast. When reality sinks in that someone else landed the opportunity, Bourdain travels to Massachusetts in a snap decision as he begins working at the Flagship, a seafood restaurant by Cape Cod, in exchange for shelter on the owner’s back porch. Tony was shot on location, which helped instill the feeling of locality as early on as the first time the film takes us to the shore.
One of the parts of Tony that fascinates me (that I wish I saw more people talking about) is this being Matt Johnson’s first American film—kind of. 2016 brought us Johnson’s Operation Avalanche which was shot on location at NASA, though in secret. Sneaking around got the director somewhere as its crew convinced NASA staff they were filming a student documentary as they walked around the facility. Tony is a stark contrast to other Matt Johnson productions. The absence of his long-time collaborator Jared Raab is definitely felt in the cinematography department, though the camerawork this time was headed by Michael Bauman of One Battle After Another fame. Contextual to the narrative Tony strives for, I think they knocked it out of the park. Shots in the kitchen can feel frenetic and manic during work hours, but also focused and solitary when Bourdain learns from the owner of the Flagship (Antonio Banderas). The chemistry between the Flagship cooks can feel broken and cutthroat while also having the energy of found family and an ultimate trust.
Trust is one of the big themes I found was explored throughout the story, with Bourdain lacking trust in anyone around him—himself included—while actively deceiving those placing their trust in him during the summer. That’s another part of Tony that stays local, its conflict and the looming bookend of the film. Anthony Bourdain did not forever stay as Dominic Sessa portrayed him during that summer, and yet his transformation throughout the film burns on slow simmer just long enough for any drastic change to feel earned. It’s nonlinear and messy, an approach that I found was the most realistic for the shift his character needed throughout this story.
Matt Johnson’s Tony is now playing in theaters nationwide.