Depression: The Movie

I had the pleasure of seeing this in it's big premiere at Englewood Cinemas. And all I can say is WOW. I have always been a fan of Henrique whether it's his music or his films, Faces of Schlock, Marty Jenkins & The Vampire Bitches, and the more brutally recent Bleeding Through. That being said, this was out of Henrique's usual realm of Horror. Depression is a comedy that hits you on all levels. One those movies where you can laugh, cry, cheer, and just all out enjoy. The story revolves around 4 people all dealing with different struggles in their lives such as: Being disconnected from one's father for several years, finding the one you can truly say you love, being an all out screw up in people's eyes, and being the nice guy and not getting anything from it. Henrique really put himself into this movie and you can tell when you watch it. You connect with these very likable characters once the black screen flashes their white text names. One wouldn't think a movie about Depression could be a comedy but this film is, as well being so much more than that. If you wanna see a movie with a lot of heart, laughs, fun dialogue, great cast, and amazing story, then go no further than seeing DEPRESSION: THE MOVIE.

Director Henrique Couto wears his heart on his sleeve, and this movie is a valentine to not only the Midwest hamlet of Dayton, Ohio, but also love in just about every one of its messy forms. The four main characters who serve as a backdrop for the stories of this film are, in varying degrees, pathetic, glorious, hopeful, petty, sad and satisfied. Lenny is a mopey, self-centered dope looking for vindication by showing up and spilling his guts to an old high school girlfriend. Bruce has some daddy issues to work on. Bill has to decide if he enjoys inhabiting an emotionless bubble. And George? She's punk as hell and uncomfortably directionless. Some sort-of gratuitous female nudity and interspersed pratfalls keep the pace humming along. Couto welds a deft hand in mixing moments of soul searching with fart jokes and sight gags.

I picked this up at a convention a while ago and just haven't had the chance to check it out. Finally last night I watched it and I feel it was generally a good indie film, but with some problems and a lot to be desired.

It's shown as an anthology film, with the final scene showing that all of these characters are connected via being in a band (except for the most unnecessary, who is in the audience). As with most anthologies segments are hits and misses, interesting since all share the same writer and director.

First segment was over all okay. It's about a guy who is not attractive in any way, shape, or form, yet has the crippling problem of having too much sex. The dialog is very well written, but the stupid German girl humor, some misplaced slapstick, and completely unneeded full body nudity (I love tits, but I did not at all need to see that, especially in this film) really brings down the whole segment. The acting is great though.

The second segment is the gem of the film. It is the absolute funniest AND the absolute saddest and most emotional bit. This is about a man who has a terrible relationship with his father and finds out about his grandfather's death several months too late. The acting is top notch from everyone involved and really showed the potential of what the entire movie could have been.

The third segment is a complete waste and feels completely out of place. The acting is passable, but the situation is nearly completely a monologue from a character I don't care about. A man takes a drunk female friend home and takes an offer to sleep in the same bed as the perfect moment to bear his soul as to why he only stays friends with women instead of trying to start a relationship. It's trying too hard, it's boring, and it's brought down with a stupid fart joke to top it all off. Could have been completely cut out.

The final segment is pretty good but completely off compared to the rest. A young woman is seen as a screw up by her sister yet asked to babysit. For some reason, there's a psycho killer on the loose who busts in to torture and murder her and the child. Fortunately she saves the day, but her brother-in-law doesn't care. Out of place but with a purpose, this segment kept my attention even if the dialog between the girl and the killer was a bit over the top. Some good laughs and some decent tension.

Overall Depression is shot decently, good uses of close ups but nothing really stands out. Editing is solid and acting is hit or miss. The writing seems to be the biggest detriment to the film, due to at times trying too hard and failing yet other times nailing it. This could have been something really sad and/or really funny, instead it teeters on mediocrity.

It's certainly not a bad film but hard to recommend. Is it worth DVD price? Probably not. But a digital rental is a great way to see if this is the kind of indie film for you.