Catching Out: Europe

Cube Cinema, Bristol, UK

The Motorbike:

In my memory the tour in England exists primarily as flashes of warmth and pauses like paintings between the shivering motorcycle miles. Fleeting colors, flickering lines, jumbled impressions. Even the trees seemed frantic as we speeded past. But I was conscious of my breath rising slowly and steadily in reassuring rhythms, like a trance insulating me from the relentless motion.

We decided to take the motorbike - a Ducati 750 - to the UK because we couldn't afford to take the camper on the ferry. The journey presented challenges from the start as complications forced us to take a ferry from Calais, France, instead of Hoek Van Holland...a 350 km drive instead of 70 km.

After the first two hours, when I thought I couldn't stand another moment of the agony, we pulled over for petrol. I vaulted off the bike. Two more hours of agony and we boarded the ferry to Dover with five minutes to spare. But not before getting soaked in a sudden downpour.

The rain continued across the channel and didn't relent until we passed London. After stopping for petrol in Reading, I discovered a staccato world at 180 km/hr (approx 110 mph) as we raced toward Bristol. I suppose I could have panicked from the rain, the cold, the speed. But instead the journey seemed like a meditation in motion…my breath rising slowly and steadily in reassuring rhythms. Mostly I felt bad for Mike.

When we arrived at Cube Cinema (www.cubecinema.com) the vibe was pretty mellow, and the patrons didn't seem to mind waiting for us to acclimate. I savored a pint of Guinness and a dry pair of wool socks. Eventually, an intimate crowd gathered in the theater and settled into the worn wooden seats. After the screening, I welcomed questions from a number of film savvy viewers who asked about shooting film, color correction, directorial decisions, future projects. My responses tended to ramble into road-weary tangents, but it was refreshing to discuss artistic rather than political concerns.

I should mention that Cube Cinema is an all-volunteer enterprise, and one of the devoted workers generously offered us a place to stay for the evening. While waiting for the stragglers to disperse so that we could go home, I asked Jane what she found most surprising about CATCHING OUT. She replied by saying something about the characters being philosophical, but I think she meant intentional. She explained that she works with the homeless, and she had expected trainhoppers to exhibit similar behaviors and chemical dependencies. Instead, she found the characters in the film inspiring.

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