Three-channel Video Installation, 2006/07, 5 min.
"At some point, we may be the only ones left. That’s okay with me. We are America."
George W. Bush
"The Only Ones Left", featuring actor Jim Fletcher, weaves film noir and mafia genre references with CEO diatribes, while also exposing the conventions of the feature film climax. The three channels of video depict all plot points of the Hollywood film climax concurrently. The channels are arranged chronologically from left to right. This simultaneity draws attention to the familiarity of the subject matter and the inevitability of the violent consequences awaiting the characters. Central to the installation is a confrontation that pits brother against brother, as the gangsters must attack and kill their own in accordance with their code of "honor." As with all Godfathers, the main character is willing to resort to violence in the face of significant risk of catastrophe (self-destruction and the destruction of the family). Further, his decisions are perfectly rational within the framework of his prevailing ideology and the institutions that embody it.