USA/2012
Directed By: Shane Ryan
Written By: Shane Ryan
Starring: Katie Marsh, Demi Baumann,
Color/90 Minutes/Not Rated
Region FREE
Release Date: September 23, 2014
The Film
Based on the true crime case of the murder of nine year old Elizabeth Olten by her fifteen year old neighbor Alyssa Bustamante, MY NAME IS A takes a raw and graphic look at growing up alienated and left to your own devices while not knowing how to deal with your own emotions.
Small on straight forward narrative, MY NAME IS A is more of a test of patience while dealing with angsty teens who are a near perfect personification of the "emo" label and stereotype. How long can you stick with this movie watching the girls binge and purge, cut their wrists or cry so that mascara is running down their face? I finished it, but just barely.
What could have been a powerful film touching on the struggles of growing into your own shell and dealing with the hand you've been dealt and showing the consequences of thinking there are none or that there's nobody outside of your own little world ends up looking like a music video from a band like The Used or My Chemical Romance.
The Audio & Video
MY NAME IS A was made with little in the way of professional equipment it seems and the DVD from Wild Eye Releasing looks as such. The picture quality looks like it was shot with low end consumer grade cameras and gives a soft and grainy look. This style does work for the film itself in ways that HD might not. The audio is similar in that it works but it is no frills and is adequate.
The Extras
Wild Eye has assembled a nice collection of extras for their release of the film...
-"The Columbine Effect" - an alternate edit of MY NAME IS A
-"I Hate Me, Myself and Us" - An hour long cut of MY NAME IS A
-Deleted and alternate scenes
-Music video
-Teona Dolnikova music video spotlight
-"Isolation" - a short film
-"Oni-Gokko" - a short film
-Trailers
The Bottom Line
Big fans of films based on true crimes may want to take a look but otherwise know what you're in for.
MY NAME IS A BY ANONYMOUS is available HERE
2 comments:
Awesome raw, shocking movie with a great, young, and talented director vigorously at the helm, who's definitely someone to watch: there's to hope he'd make the right choices, he needs very serious producers capable to handle his talent, respecting his style, and encouraging such unique themes. I loved especially the performances of Alex Damiano, and, Domiziano Arcangeli, they are not the leads, but, they are outstanding. All the young cast is equally good, too! This is definitely a movie to watch with great attention, and an open mind, a vitality that this effort will most likely reward with its fresh style, beautiful cinematography with a pastel colors palette, and, a soundtrack that has you all hooked from the beginning, a presentation that altogether frequently reminds you of the French Nouvelle Vague, or even of such films from the counter culture's era. I enjoyed thoroughly, again, the director shows lots of hope as a potentially brilliant filmmaker, and, solid personal style. A must see for all Art House's aficiondados.
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