Fault Lines

• Rebecca Corbett
• 25 August 2015

This article is from 2015.

Razor-sharp, provocative examination of friendship

The European debut of Stephen Belber’s Fault Lines from American company Phantom Owl Productions is razor sharp and unashamedly crass: sexual acts are discussed in imaginative detail as old friends Bill and Jim reunite over a beer and ‘ceremonial shots’. It is evident, as the plot unfolds, that the shots are not the only ceremonial part.

In a manner that would send Richard Curtis’ male leads cowering, strong-minded characters Jim and Bill aren’t afraid to speak their minds – whether the topic be ‘existential breast milk’ or their ability to shoot and hit clay pigeons. Actors Dean Chekvala (Bill), George Griffith (Jim) and Zibby Allen (Jess) execute their roles with precision and professionalism.

Matthew Lillard (best known as an actor in films such as Scream and Scooby Doo) directs Stephen Belber’s script to be both funny and provocative. As the two friends chat, interrupted by ‘Joe’ (an excellent Steve Connell), the fault lines in their friendship are gradually exposed, before a final, shocking plot twist.

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