The Invisibles

Director: Noah Stern
Screenwriters: Noah Stern

Institute History

  • 1999 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Jude and Joy, a rock star and a model, escape from a rehab center and seek refuge in Joy’s bohemian Paris flat. Hiding from the outside world, they struggle to make sense of their lives through withdrawal, nourishing conversation, and food from “le pizza guy.” Composed of discontinuous scenes held together by clever intertitles and excerpts from Jude’s thoughts, each cycle of The Invisibles takes us one step further into the depths of these charismatic and moving characters. In the folds of white bed sheets, they share a wanton lust which alternately challenges and comforts their shaky identities.
Rendered in black and white with thoughtful attention to composition, much about this film is fresh and buoyant. Rarely does a movie set in one room pique the senses for a full two hours, but the pithy dialogue that scratches away at the conflicts between youth and insecurity, success and addiction make this an engaging and witty drama. The music underscores the emotional temperature of the lovers’ shared moments, ranging from hopeless to euphoric.
At its core, The Invisibles examines the pain and isolation that come with celebrity. Jude’s and Joy’s images are no longer their own, but the property of the media to be exploited and misrepresented to the benefit of their agents and business managers. They are noticed but not seen. They become famous and invisible. Honest and captivating performances by both Michael Goorjian and Portia de Rossi add yet-another dimension to this already-multilayered cinematic piece.

Noah Stern, Director
Noah Stern is a native of Chicago and a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In January 1997, he formed ZhFilms, devoted to the writing, direction, and production of independent film projects. The first of these film, The Invisibles, was recently completed in conjunction with Zero Pictures. Stern teaches screenwriting in the UCLA writers’ program, where his pagan students worship like Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. He currently lives and incurs parking tickets in Los Angeles.

— Chantal Van Riet

Screening Details

As you use our Online Archives, please understand that the information presented from Festivals, Labs, and other activities is taken directly from official publications from each year. While this information is limited and doesn't necessarily represent the full list of participants (e.g. actors and crew), it is the list given to us by the main film/play/project contact at the time, based on the space restrictions of our publications. Each entry in the Online Archives is meant as a historical record of a particular film, play, or project at the time of its involvement with Sundance Institute. For this reason, we can only amend an entry if a name is misspelled, or if the entry does not correctly reflect the original publication. If you have questions or comments, please email [email protected]