I live in Birmingham where this true/false story happened. This version takes place in Maryland where it was shot. With a title so good, I had to check it out.
It's a psychological thriller character study following the main character's descent into madness hitting all the memorable moments from the news.
I was expecting amateur home-movie-style visuals/editing as a quick cash grab, but it's clear these are not first-time filmmakers, er, video makers.
It still looks like it was shot with a handful of friends on a weekend. It's done competently with serviceable enough equipment. There are moments where the lighting and shots are decently composed. The editing keeps things moving and has some stylish choices. I would wager to say half the audio is news reports laid over shots of the main character just doing things. But again, that's how character study stories go sometimes.
It kind of reminded me a little bit of Sean Baker's work (Tangerine, The Florida Project), but maybe that's due to its low-budget minimal approach of hotels and strippers.
It's more effective and disturbing than I anticipated, slowly becoming a David Lynch-style nightmare. However, the last 10mins takes a sharp tonal shift where it becomes self-aware, jokey, tongue-in-cheek with faux-serious silliness that kind of derails the whole thing for me. Kind of wish they just committed to the same tone for the whole thing.
Overall, worth the $2, if anything for the sheer novelty of it.
It's a psychological thriller character study following the main character's descent into madness hitting all the memorable moments from the news.
I was expecting amateur home-movie-style visuals/editing as a quick cash grab, but it's clear these are not first-time filmmakers, er, video makers.
It still looks like it was shot with a handful of friends on a weekend. It's done competently with serviceable enough equipment. There are moments where the lighting and shots are decently composed. The editing keeps things moving and has some stylish choices. I would wager to say half the audio is news reports laid over shots of the main character just doing things. But again, that's how character study stories go sometimes.
It kind of reminded me a little bit of Sean Baker's work (Tangerine, The Florida Project), but maybe that's due to its low-budget minimal approach of hotels and strippers.
It's more effective and disturbing than I anticipated, slowly becoming a David Lynch-style nightmare. However, the last 10mins takes a sharp tonal shift where it becomes self-aware, jokey, tongue-in-cheek with faux-serious silliness that kind of derails the whole thing for me. Kind of wish they just committed to the same tone for the whole thing.
Overall, worth the $2, if anything for the sheer novelty of it.
