‘Black’ is the latest novel by Stephen Parker: a nervous, timid writer who’s desperate to see his book published. Just one man stands in his way: the agent, an egotistical number-cruncher who has no time to read manuscripts and has no interest in the soul that lies within the novel. Stephen has battled long and hard to get a meeting with his agent, and now he’s finally there, he won’t back down without a fight. The two set off on a day long battle of wit and determination, each will use whatever tricks they can muster to seal a deal.
A sharp criticism of the cruel publishing industry, The Agent becomes a relentless rant on how a desire for profit blinds the industry to possible works of art. As The Agent makes clear, because of the tribulations an artist has to go through to get noticed, it’s almost terrifying to think of the body of work that remains unrecognised. However, both characters invoke sympathy and animosity, each a victim of the industry rather than the perpetrator.
For a film which is nothing more than a barrage of conversation on the deplorable state of the publishing industry, it’s strangely compelling. Once everything that could possibly be said on the subject has been said, the events that unravel become immensely satisfying. The Agent is imbued with passion and anger, and like Stephen Parker, after seeing the agent, you’ll be seeing red.
