I Just Cant Go On

In Canadianborn John Cooks restless documentary of an Austrian couple I JUST CANT GO ON the husband Petrus channeling Cassius Marcellus Clay takes up boxing to supplement the income from his dayjob burnishing frames His companion the much older Gisi works as a janitor They are an odd couple scavenging at the bottom of the Viennese social ladder But there is nothing patronizing or exploitative in Cooks treatment of the couple and their eccentricities as they try to make ends meet In one of the films key aesthetic choices Cook eschews synched sound in favor of a streamofconsciousness soundtrack pitting Petrus and Gisis unfiltered remarks in relief against the harsh material world