Purgatory House

I'm always interested in seeing teenage angsty movies like this one, since I went through that rather melodramatic period when I was that age. Usually, I'm not disappointed. However, this particular film was horrible. Perhaps the idea was to make it "artsy", but it just turned out bad. The quality of filming is awful, even for a film that tries to use jittery, "chaotic" filming. I could have made a film of the same grade with my digital camera and a couple of lamps. Of course, the special effects were horrifically bad. The acting was absolutely ATROCIOUS, especially the main character. Regardless of her "talent" to write and direct this movie, she was horrible. She had zero acting skill, horrible timing, and the inability to properly deliver lines. The supporting cast was almost as nauseating, with large gaps between lines and huge pauses in the middles of sentences that couldn't even be disguised as "dramatic effect". The music was weak. It was as though the people in charge of music had done a Google search for lyrics corresponding to the topic of the scene. There were several good songs, but often, I found myself getting utterly distracted from the film because of the songs. Not to say it was hard to get distracted. I was literally bored to tears in some parts. The idea is interesting, however, the style it is written in is very amateur, which makes it obvious that it was made by an inexperienced playwright. The lines lack strength and emotion- they sound like bad poetry out of a B-grade emo teen magazine. In theory, a somewhat clever idea for a movie, however, it failed painfully in execution. As someone who is only a number of years outside of the age shown in this movie, I have to honestly say that watching this movie MADE me want to go do drugs and then kill myself. So what kind of message is that supposed to convey? The ONLY reason that I'm giving this movie a 2 is because the scene where the main character died had the potential to be interesting. That's it. And, of course, the ending was horrible and nauseatingly predictable. I won't even bother spoiling it for you- just read the back of the case and I'm sure you can accurately guess what happens.

Don't waste your time, unless you're a masochist. But even then, don't expect your type to be portrayed artfully. So it would probably be an insult either way.

I recently saw Purgatory House at the Gasparilla Film Festival. This film is brilliant, incredible, moving, powerful and breathtaking. A 14-year-old girl wrote this story about a 14-year old who committed suicide and ends up in Purgatory House, a sort of dorm for teens who've killed themselves. They have to wear the same clothes they had on when they died, can do all the drugs they want (who cares?), and have to attend "school" where they watch Earth TV to keep track of the people they left behind.

There were several funny parts (God is a drag queen who isn't really all that kind and loving, who makes the recently deceased compete in a game show to determine if they go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory). In addition to being funny, Purgatory House is deeply profound. Parents should show this film to their children and movie lovers should show it to their friends.

Purgatory House looks the kind of typical film that shows a "very unique" view of life, death, religion, and love, but it actually does! And though it is burdened by poorly delivered lines and unintentional ambient noise, a few well-constructed elements really pull it all together into a surprisingly pleasant film.

Silver Strand is a young teen who overdoses and dies, and since she has committed suicide, she's stuck in purgatory for all eternity. She is trapped there forever with other teens who "expressed themselves with drugs, alcohol, self mutilation, sex, suicide." There are no lessons to be learned there, no great acts to do, It's almost like a psychiatric hospital mixed with a group-home.

The story jumps back and forth to show clips of Silver's life on earth and her death in purgatory. She talks with the other teenagers there and they all share their views of God, religion, and their individual destinies.

Purgatory House takes a confusing concept and brings it to life, mixing a serious tone with a few laughs. For example, Silver waked up while in purgatory and the first words she mumble are, "Why did I set my alarm clock for 5 AM when I was alive?" Much to the viewer's dismay, other lines throughout the film are said with either too much acting behind them or too little. Some of the actors seem completely invested in the film, while others put on performances overshadowed by even Disney Channel Original Movies.

Some of the actors are experienced, but most are working on their first big project, so there are high in hopes and low in talents. Only two of the actors have worked on other produced features before: Jim Hanks (Baby Geniuses... and we all know how amazing that was), and Johnny Pacar (Now You See It..., Flight 29 Down) 14-year-old Celeste Davis wrote this screenplay and appears to be the youngest screenwriter with his or her own produced film. She was in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program when she met Cindy Baer who directed and produced the film for her.

Though created by amateurs, the film has a very complete feel. Different techniques with the camera, editing, and computer graphics bring a sense of experimentation to the film that most films are too afraid to do.

The music in Purgatory House is probably the best I've heard in a movie in a long while. Each song that is played correlates with the scene it's played in and makes a nice atmosphere. Many of the musicians gave the rights to use their music free of charge because they fell in love with the story behind the movie.

The film-makers try to keep it silent at times, but it doesn't work 99% of the times they try it. If they had invested in a wind-sock, maybe the film would have a less home-made vibe to it.

Movies like these are hard to come by. On the one hand, they're very good and you want to show them to all your friends. They have a certain wit and style that you really don't find elsewhere. They have a unique way of looking at some important topics and presenting them in an interesting and engaging way.

On the other hand, movies like this suck because it wasn't funded very well. If the budget had been higher for this movie, the end result would have looked and sounded a little more polished and purposeful. There were some instances when the viewer had to wonder if the camcorder was really for "effect", or if it was just the only camera they had at hand (pun intended). The film-makers could have also hired some skilled actors, instead of just friends, so that the script got its money's worth. The writing is very good in it, it only deserves a good cast.

The experimentation, music, message, and camera techniques are all so good in Purgatory House. It's just a shame that some of the details were sketchy.

I must say, this is the best movie i've seen since American Beauty. I saw this movie at Waterfront Film Festival in saugatuck, Michegan, and loved it. the fact that it was written by someone MY age, just opened my eyes in a lot of ways. i can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD, it will definitely be part of my collection. I loved the way she portrayed God, as a dragqueen, and how she didn't lie about the s**t kids go through, its not all that fantasy for kids to shoot up in their high school bathroom. It is on my favorite list, (which also includes American Beauty, The Hours, Requium for a dream, Kids, you know..syco drug movies.) well thats my thoughts, go see it, its wonderful

Honestly, this movie is the reason teenagers don't make movies. The message, which, though undefined, is loosely construed as "Don't kill yourself" rings hollow, and, as a teenager, the complete lack of realism and depth to the characters makes it utterly unwatchable.

I think it is wonderful that a young writer got her break, but it falls short of being anything meaningful or even well-written. The acting is dreadful, but not quite as dreadful as the stale, unrealistic dialog.

The only saving point in this movie is Jim Hanks, but even his bright acting and excellent delivery can't save this sinking ship of a film.

The real question? How does a movie that reads like a public service announcement written by well, a fourteen-year-old girl, win seven independent film awards?