There is something incredibly indelible about the sixties, particularly on the music business side of things. With rock and roll, its figureheads were always larger than life. But those that specifically emerged in the so-called “Age of Aquarius” had an extra-large dose of awesomeness that is uniquely and unequivocally tethered to that time period and will be for all time.
Director Staci Layne Wilson (creator of the fantastical Fetish Factory and the music documentary about her father Don Wilson and his band, The Ventures: Stars on Guitars) co-wrote the script with Darren Gordon Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera)—based on their short story Phantom/Fandom from their collection of tales, Sex, Death, Rock n Roll. Somehow, Wilson managed to craft something epic, that due to its own narrative-set limitations, could easily have been a story that perished from choking on itself.
The Second Age of Aquarius is instead a showcase of Wilson and Smith’s wide creative swath that can take on a multitude of time traveling-centric issues all from the comfy confines of Alberta Stevens’ Los Angeles area apartment. Christina Jacquelyn Calph’s Alberta is every ounce a woman of 2022, while rocker Russell Aquarius (Michael Ursu) is progressive in a litany of ways, except when it comes to the roles of the genders.
It’s not topic “A” in this fun ride of a flick, but the way that Smith and Wilson have interwoven that thread throughout their film is an organic yardstick to how far we’ve come in that department, and yet how incredibly far we still have to travel until we achieve true equality.
You’ll get no spoilers here at The Movie Mensch, but what can be said is even though Aquarius and Stevens come from eras that are a half-century apart they possess palpable chemistry that makes staying in bed with them over a few days a joy. This isn’t simply a physical connection that these actors possess. It’s how they interact with each other, and the decades that separate them is a cerebral and connective challenge for any thespian. Through their natural talents and chemistry, the rich script they were given, and having an actor’s director that Wilson clearly is, it all added up to a priceless concept at the core of this story that not only works, but you’re going to want to spend more time with these two than 90 or so minutes.
Both actors charged with bringing to life these very contrasting souls met and surpassed the undertaking.
Alberta is not happy with her coding job, but what she has created with what is essentially an avatar come to life, brings her great pride—something lacking in the professional department for her for some time. Clearly, Russell is bat shit crazy about his gig. He’s a rock star from the late 60s! There are certain rules that must be followed, not the least of which is the fact that Aquarius has to stay in her apartment. He goes near that door and mass pixelization is the least of his problems.
She may have created Aquarius for her own selfish reasons, but sometimes when an endeavor is undertaken, its result or experience becomes worthwhile for reasons one never foresaw or even considered. This is storytelling at its best. The Second Age of Aquarius is not a simple, cut and dry tale of a lonely programmer who brings her grandmother’s celebrity crush to life—clearly, she thinks he’s a tad on the cute side as well.
The potential for topics of conversation, dramatic narrative that will always be moving forward, and those inevitable conflicts are all layered throughout the film and keep things exceptionally intriguing. These spokes in the wheel of the Aquarius story are well thought out and it’s easy to see that its existence is owed to the printed page in literary form. The fact that both Wilson and Smith are the crafters of the original short story, they presented the world with the shooting script, and their priceless involvement in the film’s production all adds up to a true gift.
The Second Age of Aquarius also is not a one-trick pony. The “gag” or “fish out of water” aspect of Aquarius’ return in the 2020s from his very rock and roll death in 1970 provides countless opportunities beyond the core illustration that two souls from different time periods could find love with each other. There are the gender dynamics that have altered (we certainly like to think so) from the early 70s to today. It’s not a little thing, but the reaction of Aquarius to the concept that Alberta purchases her marijuana from a storefront is precious. That’s just scratching the surface of the storytelling iceberg. One can see why Wilson and Smith saw the potential for this particular short story being morphed into a full-length motion picture.
Calph’s turn is quite calculated, and we mean that as the ultimate of compliments. This is a woman driven by numbers. She made a career out of it. Numbers make sense, but what is happening currently to her does not exactly add up. How it will play out is never predetermined or predictable. As the actress plays her, Alberta is a smart, strong woman whose being drawn to a sixties rock star is not out of character by a longshot.
Then, there’s Ursu. When he appears, he’s sporting a soft leather sleeveless flowy vest and tie-dyed boxers. The actor embraces the part with unquestionable flair. He could have played the role in any number of ways, including creating a cartoonish version of what a sixties rockstar would be. Instead, he went with an Aquarius that is every bit someone who would have rocked alongside Jim Morrison and Robert Plant (those Zep lead singer jokes are divine) back in the day.
Cheers to everyone involved with casting because both these actors have to carry the movie on their shoulders. Whether an independent movie or a big-budget flick, one thing is congruent and that is 80 to 90-percent of a filmmaker’s job is casting. When the two roles inhabit the movie wholeheartedly, I’d suggest that the number is even higher!
There’s a score of original music by Smith that fits the bridge of both eras. The songs that Ursu belts out from his “past” could every bit be hits from that era, and the fresh work he pens—inspired by Alberta is still firmly anchored in the trippy decade that marked such a seismic cultural change that is still felt today, as shown by example in The Second Age of Aquarius.
You’re not going to want to miss the trip that is The Second Age of Aquarius which lands Friday, February 11, 2022, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, iTunes/AppleTV, Google Play/YouTube, Microsoft Xbox, Vudu, and Vimeo.
Join the cast and crew for the watch party of The Second Age of Aquarius on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST via Twitter. Prizes for lucky winners!
Grade: A