Girlfriend

Girlfriend is a dark film, a very heavy film, weighing down on you as you watch it. There is so much going on beneath the surface of the artfully simplistic filming techniques. The viewer is forced to pay close attention to the cues within a wide shot, the secrets behind a dialogue, and the tragedies behind a profile.

The core cast is small, and we get to know each character in depth. To me, this adds to the small town feel provided by the setting of Girlfriend, Wayland, Massachusetts.

Evan is a kind and pure heart, and everything from the way he is filmed to the lines he says presents him as such. We simply see him, in his small world, reaching out to and caring about the people around him. This is exemplified when he decides to give a large sum of money to the woman he has crushed on since high school, Candy.

Candy has a difficult time believing that Evan's gift is from the kindness of his heart and not a means to an end. It is here that we get a glimpse into what her life has been like. Her past experiences and relationships have left her jaded. She's lost, held together only by her love for her son.

Russ took me by surprise at how vile he was, even being prepared by the synopsis and the movie trailer. He is Candy's ex-boyfriend; violent, alcoholic, and just as lost as she. He still involves himself in her life, as does she with his, and the interaction is never healthy.

Kenny is a key pressure point in the story, helping to create conflict in an already volatile situation. His presence on screen is brief, but his impact on the story remains throughout.

During a question and answer bit after the second showing at the Toronto International Film Festival, someone asked the cast and crew about the filming techniques used in the film. I found the cinematographer's response to be very intriguing. She explained that each main character was filmed in a unique way that exaggerates the nature of their situation and personality.

Evan was filmed in wide, steady angles, so that we could see him in the middle of his world. Long takes allow the viewer to experience the passing of time in his overwhelmingly lonely reality.

Candy was always filmed lost in a tight frame, between other people or objects, to demonstrate how suffocated her character was. This certainly came across to me, often times feeling stifled just watching it.

Russ is a dark and mysterious character, and the camera got this across by shooting him from a distance and obstructing the view. Russ is always lurking in the back of your mind from the moment you meet him. My first time seeing the film, I was often left with a knot in my stomach after his scenes, just from the feeling of dread that his persona left with me.

I wholeheartedly believe that the cast chosen for this movie was beyond perfect. My congratulations go out to the production team for putting together such a successful band of talent. Evan Sneider is without a doubt the star, and his portrayal of everything from kindness, innocence, longing, hurt, and anger left me breathless. He masterfully delivered some of the most impacting lines in the film.

Shannon Woodward seems to be worn beyond her years as Candy. She presents the character as so lost and hopeless, tired of life in general, with little to cling to. There was a moment of having to return my mind to reality after the film when I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon, sweet and vibrant and humble.

Jackson Rathbone as Russ was absolutely haunting. From the moment you meet his character in the movie, the hair on the back of your neck stands up and you just know he's nothing but trouble. All through the film he demonstrates time and time again that he is in a dark, dark place. It is a testament to Jackson's talent as an actor that there are moments when you find yourself hurting for Russ, and you feel conflicted about it. Jackson's mastery of Russ' facial expressions was what impressed me the most. In any scene, you can see and hear what Russ is putting out there, but see another emotion cross his face; doubt, revulsion with himself, shame, hurt. It is in these moments that you see the man behind the hard exterior, the man that knows when he is doing wrong, the man that feels emotions like anyone else.

So much went into making this film as beautiful as it was, and my review wouldn't be complete without mentioning the original score and soundtrack. The score was composed by the band 100 Monkeys, whose members include Jerad Anderson and Jackson Rathbone (both Girlfriend actors and producers,) M. Lawrence Abrams, Ben Johnson, and Ben Graupner. Its sound is raw and often times dark, much like the story, with subtle drones and dramatic crescendos that aided the suspense and anticipation prevalent throughout the movie. The soundtrack features well placed songs by talents such as Daniel Johnston and Spencer Bell. It is clear that everything, from the cast, the camera angles, the dialogue and the music, was chosen with the utmost care and attention, and was, to me, a total success.

I came away from the movie feeling that it was a very bold and very important film. It touches on so many themes; prejudice, necessity, humanity, abuse, love. Seeing it twice wasn't enough, and I feel such a strong desire for everyone in the world to get to see it now.

I congratulate everyone involved on an amazing and touching film. It has important statements to make, and I know that it will continue to make them as it wins the hearts of everyone that sees it.

Please don't waste anymore of our time with this drab. It's apparent that the actors or crew members are posting reviews. That or they're emailing friends and begging them to post a review. I wish I could say something good about this movie but I can't. I'm glad it's over is about that only good thing I can say. My girlfriend and I read about this "project" and thought we would spend our Sunday night at the Tornoto Film Festival seeing something heartwarming and genuine. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The writing was awful, most of the acting was forced and there were too many holes in the plot to keep track of. I know I'm supposed to like it but no one else in the audience seemed to like it either. After the movie, I heard at least three or four groups of people laughing about what a waste of time it was. Luckily we saw several other great films at the festival that made it worth while. The festival should have given this film a much later time slot so less people would have wasted their time. My girlfriend works in the industry and she wanted to leave 20 minutes into the movie. Sorry guys the movie doesn't work. Excuse any typos - I didn't want to waste anymore time on this movie than I already have.

Genuinely touching film about a guy with Down's syndrome who finds himself in a very different kind of love triangle.

Toughest performance may have been by Shannon Woodward who must play a sympathetic, conflicted character as she picks her way through an emotional and ethical minefield. Evan as Evan also put on a brave performance. Subtle yet effective cinematography, great transitions.

None of the writing seemed overwrought, and judging by the QA, Shannon herself had a lot of room to edit the script on the fly.

And the guy who played Russ also managed to bring moments of sympathy to his character despite being a very scary jerk.

A relatively straightforward film that still manages to surprise.

There's only three good things I can say about this movie. Amanda Plummer gave a decent performance. The movie wasn't that long. The concept was good but the writing and finished product were bad. Jackson Rathbone wasn't good. I'm sure these people are trying to cash in on the twilight buzz but it didn't work. The main character, Evan, was believable but his parents should be ashamed for letting these "moviemakers" use him the way they did. Good luck to whoever Paradigm hustles into buying this junk. The Canadian media will not support this project. Make a real movie next time. I would have given it 1 out of 10 stars but someone already did. Get an actual director and do it right.

Evan Grey (Evan Sneider) has Down syndrome. He lives and works with his mom Celeste (Amanda Plummer). Their boss isn't happy with his work. He's in love with single mom Candy (Shannon Woodward). She struggles to get money from her violent possessive baby-daddy Russ (Jackson Rathbone). She's involved with Kenny which drives jealous Russ crazy. Celeste dies and relatives give Evan some money to buy food. Instead, he gives it to Candy and wants her to be his girlfriend.

This is not the normal uplifting Down syndrome movie. Evan Sneider does a great job. There are a lot of awkward motivations. It's very troubling to watch Evan being manipulated. Candy is pushed to make compromises. I applaud trying to make something complex with a mentally handicap character but this is an uncomfortable movie. Combining sexuality and the mentally handicap is a high risk proposition in a movie.