Tape
2001 · United States · 86 min
- Director
- Richard Linklater
- Screenplay
- Stephen Belber
- Producer
- Gary Winick, Alexis Alexanian
- Music
- Howard Shore
- Cinematography
- Maryse Alberti
- Editing
- Sandra Adair
- Based on
- Tape
Cast
What it is about
Vince, a small-time drug dealer and volunteer firefighter from Oakland, rents a motel room in Lansing, Michigan, to support his old high school friend Jon Salter, whose documentary is screening at the local festival. Over shared memories of their teenage years, the conversation grows strained once the name Amy, Vince's former girlfriend, comes up. The whole film unfolds in that one room, in real time.
How it was made
The film is adapted from Stephen Belber's stage play, and Belber also wrote the screenplay. Richard Linklater shot it on camcorder within a single location, in real time, which gives it the feel of a staged piece. Ethan Hawke, who had previously worked with Linklater on Before Sunrise, leads a cast completed by Robert Sean Leonard and Uma Thurman. The score is by Howard Shore.
Reception and legacy
Critics received it generally well. Roger Ebert praised how believable its events feel on screen and described it as a kind of instruction manual for the new tools of filmmaking, while Stephen Holden praised the performances as psychologically acute. Its historical interest lies mainly in its embrace of video and in its drama of three characters confined to one space.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A shared history
Ethan Hawke had already worked with Richard Linklater on Before Sunrise before starring in this film.
Shot on video
The film was shot on camcorder, a choice that places it among early examples of video in independent cinema.
More films by Richard Linklater
Boyhood
Before Sunrise
School of Rock
Before Sunset
Before Midnight
Dazed and ConfusedOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.