For those hopefuls out there hitting the pavement on the job hunt, take a cue (or on second thought, don’t) from Jake Gyllenhaal’s unorthodox interviewing style, showcased in his “video resume” promoting the upcoming indie film, Nightcrawler.
Gyllenhaal’s character, Louis Bloom, is an unemployed Los Angeles reporter who soon finds himself drawn into the world of free-lance crime journalism. The short clip is a general self-selling pitch to an unseen potential employer, with Gyllenhaal’s tone quickly shifting from humble to aggressive to slightly unhinged. It all climaxes with an almost maniacal shout at the very end, no doubt a loud and clear message to the audience. His portrayal conveys a kind of growing desperation and frustration that should be uncomfortably familiar to a lot of Americans.
With the existence of an open Craigslist ad displaying the fictional job seeker’s relentless efforts, it is obvious that the marketing campaign behind the film is trying to take a clever and unorthodox approach. This ironically mirrors the lengths that real life job seekers must often go to “stand out from the crowd,” as they say.
The film was written and by Dan Gilroy (Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy), who is making his feature directing debut as well. Rene Russo (Thor), who incidentally is married to Gilroy, and Bill Paxton (Edge of Tomorrow) also star in the film. Gyllenhaal, who lost considerable weight for the role, was recently cast as the lead in next year’s Demolition. Bold Films (Drive, Legion) produced the movie and Open Road Films will distribute it in theaters later this year on October 17th.
Leave a Comment