Clean, Shaven
Encyclopedia
Clean, Shaven is a 1994 film directed by Lodge Kerrigan
, in which Peter Winter (played by Peter Greene
) is a schizophrenic man desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive mother. The film tries to objectively view schizophrenia
and those who are affected by it.
The film took about two years to completely finish shooting because Lodge Kerrigan, the director, was constantly running out of money. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
.
would be accustomed to. Peter Winter has recently been released from a mental institution and upon his release, must try to experience and understand a world that is all but foreign to him.
Beginning the search for his daughter Nicole (Jennifer MacDonald), Peter's car is hit by a soccer ball. A young girl looks from beyond his windshield at him, and he gets out of the car. No actual images of the girl are shown after Peter exits his car, but the screams of a young girl are heard as if Peter is beating her. He carries a large orange bag into his trunk, and the audience is meant to presume that Peter killed this little girl.
Winter returns home, where sounds invade his very being, and he is never completely at rest. He believes that there is a transmitter beneath the skin on his head and he proceeds to remove it. Peter is also disturbed by mirrors, and typically covers up any mirrors that he can access.
The car that Peter drives becomes encased in newspaper, and he isolates himself from the outside world. Peter comes back home to find his mother Mrs. Winter (Megan Owen) still very disturbed about Peter's schizophrenia. She still treats Peter as a child, and does not want him to find his daughter.
Peter, through his travels, becomes wrapped up in the investigation of the murder of another young girl. Jack McNally (Robert Albert), the detective on the case, is stymied because there is almost no evidence at the scene of the crime. Peter becomes a suspect in the case, but nothing found at the crime scene or in Peter's hotel room can link him to the murder.
That does not stop the detective from following Peter after he kidnaps his daughter from her adoptive mother. Just as Peter begins to reconcile himself with his daughter, McNally shows up, desperate to take Peter in as the murderer. Peter foolishly takes out a gun and aims it at the police officer to try to protect his daughter from McNally. McNally, believing that what he is seeing is the dead body of Peter's daughter, opens fire on Peter, killing him.
He finds the girl to be safe and after exploring Peter's trunk for proof of some wrongdoing, finds nothing incriminating in the car. He fires Peter's gun in the air, so that he would not be charged for shooting a man unnecessarily.
: "I really tried to examine the subjective reality of someone who suffered from schizophrenia, to try to put the audience in that position to experience how I imagined the symptoms to be: auditory hallucinations, heightened paranoia, dissociative feelings, anxiety."
"I set it up that Peter, who suffers from schizophrenia
, could be the killer, leading the audience down that path, but I withhold proof. There's no conclusive evidence that he is and if people feel that he's guilty, I hope that the picture holds them responsible for drawing that conclusion."
Lodge Kerrigan
Lodge Kerrigan is an American motion picture screenwriter and director. His 2010 film Rebecca H. entered into the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Clean, Shaven...
, in which Peter Winter (played by Peter Greene
Peter Greene
Peter Greene is an American character actor.A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Greene did not pursue a career in acting until his mid 20s...
) is a schizophrenic man desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive mother. The film tries to objectively view schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
and those who are affected by it.
The film took about two years to completely finish shooting because Lodge Kerrigan, the director, was constantly running out of money. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival
1994 Cannes Film Festival
The 1994 Cannes Film Festival started on 12 May and ran until 23 May. The Palme d'Or went to the American film Pulp Fiction directed by Quentin Tarantino.-Official Selection:*Clint Eastwood *Catherine Deneuve...
.
Plot summary
The film begins with abstract images and sounds, much like any person with schizophreniaSchizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
would be accustomed to. Peter Winter has recently been released from a mental institution and upon his release, must try to experience and understand a world that is all but foreign to him.
Beginning the search for his daughter Nicole (Jennifer MacDonald), Peter's car is hit by a soccer ball. A young girl looks from beyond his windshield at him, and he gets out of the car. No actual images of the girl are shown after Peter exits his car, but the screams of a young girl are heard as if Peter is beating her. He carries a large orange bag into his trunk, and the audience is meant to presume that Peter killed this little girl.
Winter returns home, where sounds invade his very being, and he is never completely at rest. He believes that there is a transmitter beneath the skin on his head and he proceeds to remove it. Peter is also disturbed by mirrors, and typically covers up any mirrors that he can access.
The car that Peter drives becomes encased in newspaper, and he isolates himself from the outside world. Peter comes back home to find his mother Mrs. Winter (Megan Owen) still very disturbed about Peter's schizophrenia. She still treats Peter as a child, and does not want him to find his daughter.
Peter, through his travels, becomes wrapped up in the investigation of the murder of another young girl. Jack McNally (Robert Albert), the detective on the case, is stymied because there is almost no evidence at the scene of the crime. Peter becomes a suspect in the case, but nothing found at the crime scene or in Peter's hotel room can link him to the murder.
That does not stop the detective from following Peter after he kidnaps his daughter from her adoptive mother. Just as Peter begins to reconcile himself with his daughter, McNally shows up, desperate to take Peter in as the murderer. Peter foolishly takes out a gun and aims it at the police officer to try to protect his daughter from McNally. McNally, believing that what he is seeing is the dead body of Peter's daughter, opens fire on Peter, killing him.
He finds the girl to be safe and after exploring Peter's trunk for proof of some wrongdoing, finds nothing incriminating in the car. He fires Peter's gun in the air, so that he would not be charged for shooting a man unnecessarily.
Cast
- Peter GreenePeter GreenePeter Greene is an American character actor.A native of Montclair, New Jersey, Greene did not pursue a career in acting until his mid 20s...
– Peter Winter - Alice Levitt – Girl with Ball
- Megan Owen – Mrs. Winter
- Jennifer MacDonald – Nicole Winter
- Molly Castelloe – Melinda Frayne
- Jill Chamberlain – Teenager in Motel
- Agathe Leclerc – Murdered Girl
- Robert Albert – Jack McNally
- Roget Joly – Police Photographer
- René Beaudin – Boy on Bicycle
- J. Dixon Byrne – Dr. Michaels
- Eliot Rockett – Man on Ladder / Man in Jeep
Lodge Kerrigan on the film
Lodge KerriganLodge Kerrigan
Lodge Kerrigan is an American motion picture screenwriter and director. His 2010 film Rebecca H. entered into the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Clean, Shaven...
: "I really tried to examine the subjective reality of someone who suffered from schizophrenia, to try to put the audience in that position to experience how I imagined the symptoms to be: auditory hallucinations, heightened paranoia, dissociative feelings, anxiety."
"I set it up that Peter, who suffers from schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
, could be the killer, leading the audience down that path, but I withhold proof. There's no conclusive evidence that he is and if people feel that he's guilty, I hope that the picture holds them responsible for drawing that conclusion."