Hurly burly

Sean Penn won the highly coveted award for ‘Best Actor’ at the 1998 Venice Film Festival for his role as Eddie in Anthony Drazan’s “Hurly burly”. Set against the lavish backdrop of the Hollywood Hills, Eddie and his three friends justify each other’s existence of excessive drug taking and infidelity through their incessant ‘one-upping’ of each other. The women associated with this group are commodified and swapped around like trading cards to further embellish the homo-social world the male characters have created. Through powerful cinematography and drug-induced dialogue, “Hurly burly” gives an insight into a seemingly fantastical world made real. Penn leads an acclaimed ensemble of actors in David Rabe’s screen adaptation of his own stage play. Cast includes Kevin Spacey, Gary Shandling, Robin Wright Penn, Chazz Palminteri, Anna Paquin and Meg Ryan.