The premiere of this latest Logan Brothers production (written and directed by Willy Logan, while cinematography, audio, and special effects were done by Jaeger) played to a packed crowd. By my count, 14 were in attendance, quite possibly a new record. After seeing it, I can now say that it was worth the wait.

Fences is, at its essence, a deconstruction of suburban life from the perspective of post-postmodern high school teenagers. The very title, Fences, which is also unsurprisingly the subject around which the film revolves, refers to the omnipresent barriers, generally made of wood or metal, that permeate American neighborhoods; a seemingly inescapable and unsolvable maze which knows no bounds. (Thus the line from the first act, "You find yourself a rat in a maze", spoken by the character Moabyte, might be construed as the thesis of the piece, despite the fact that it occurs in a dream.)

Jeremiah Aaronson and Benjamin Matthews are two characters who spend their summer break struggling against the oppression of a fence put up by their neighbors. In an effort to aid their quest, they plummet into the depths of ancient history to seek answers and find a solution to their crisis. Along the way, they also invent ways to exact gruesome revenge upon that ultimate symbol of the hollow yuppie value system -- the cell phone.

Pretty much every aspect of the production on this film is far superior to its predecessor, The Gate. The dialog this time around was easily understood; in fact, most of the time, I barely even noticed when scenes had had ADR work done on them. If you don't notice it, that means it was done right. Also I am happy to say that the acting of Shadowkiller Bitscape in the role of Mr. Moabyte improved significantly since his cringe-worthy performance in The Gate. While sometimes still obviously amateurish, the quality of the entire thing is a big notch above any previous Logan Brothers film.

I can't go any farther without giving away spoilers... so.... SPOILERS BELOW HERE.

More on my interpretation. Without a doubt, this film depicts a tragedy of the highest order. Jeremiah Aaronson and Benjamin Matthews not only embark on a quest that ultimately turns out to be futile, but also, in the end, they find themselves forced into servitude as maintainers of the system of subjugation against which they fought.

The fact that they eventually came to see the fence as a blessing (just before it would be destroyed by means beyond their control) further reinforces the depth of their defeat. It is tantamount to the words, "I love you Big Brother", uttered by Winston at the end of Orwell's 1984.

Thus, I believe it is no accident that the annoying neighbors were heard holding their discussion in quasi-newspeak. The alienation they represented was implanted upon the minds of the two boys. Thus, the fence as a physical entity became unnecessary after equivilant (and stronger) barriers had been cemented into the youths' minds.

The only wildcard in all this is the character of Moabyte. What does he represent? Jeramiah seems to have a fixation on Moabyte, as evidenced both in his dreams, and his repeated attempts to circumvent the barriers to Moabyte's dwelling. But later, he runs from Moabyte, and finds that Moabyte has become a judge passing sentence upon him.

I shall posit a guess, and I may be way off here. Moabyte is a token of the subconscious currents within Jeramiah's mind. From beginning to end, Jeramiah is haunted by the specter of Moabyte's elusive presence. At one point, he attempts to hack in and understand the mysterious workings of the computer which operates Moabyte's house, and thus understand himself. He gets some assistance with this from Benjamin, and almost succeeds, but then discovers that what he has found will do him no good.

As the layers of Jeramiah's subconscious terrain crash in upon him, he finds that Moabyte, the purveyer of chaos through order, has overpowered him, and he must relent. He has become nothing more than another cog in the proverbial machine.

A suburban epic indeed. While a feast for the mind, Fences is also a bitter and jagged little pill to swallow. Therefore, it might not be for everyone, but I certainly enjoyed watching it.