Unsound

My only critique is it get's a little repetitive within the first hour, seems like every other scene is a phone call. That being said, the film is made with such passion and you can feel it through the screen. The performances from everyone are terrific, side characters feel like actual people. The cinematography and editing are on point, and the story is something I've never seen told so honestly. I'm excited to see darious tackle future projects.

This is Darius Brit's first full length movie, and it is absolutely worth seeing. It garnered Best Screenplay at the Phoenix Film Festival, and the honor was well deserved.

Unsound follows a young filmmaker played by Brit, as he attempts to put together a documentary film on VW Bugs while his mother descends into a devastating psychotic episode. He is all his mom has, since other relatives have distanced themselves from her galaxy of chaos. Her multifaceted sickness invades every aspect of his life. He struggles with the legal and medical systems, deadlines to get his project completed, the loss of friendships, and eviction and job loss due to his mother's erratic behavior. The film however, is so well done, that even with such an agonizing situation, there are moments of humor and tenderness throughout.

Unsound is autobiographical, and is based on true events in Mr. Brit's life. The acting is superb, with Toreenee Wolf giving an amazingly nuanced performance as Darolyn Cobert, the director's mom.

This movie is brilliant and beautiful. When you get a chance, go see it, and then go see it again.

I had been a regular viewer of Britt's YouTube videos for many years. In fact, he was one of the first youtubers I watched that got me into filmmaking. I had been anticipating his film for many years, however I didn't have reasonably high expectations given the clear financial limitations of Mr. Britt.

I was pleasantly surprised though.

It's clear that the performances are top notch, so despite occasional moments of narrative drag, the film usually kicks back into gear with its powerful acting and its uncanny ability to accurately portray the mental illness within its subject matter.

The film is obviously not perfect-its execution is much more autobiographical than narrative, but I'm still left with the same feeling I get whenever I watch a D4Darious video; a deep an abiding appreciation of moviemaking.

A story like his could only be told through an indy filmmaker. If you, someone you care about, or are friends with someone who is dealing with a serious mental illness parts of this film will get you right where all that stuff lives.

You can break down just about any scene in this movie and enjoy it from a technical standpoint. The writing and acting is top notice as well. When thing come together like there sometimes magic happens and this hits that magic mark.

It's like a chunk out of the character Regi's life. It's not his mom's fault she's sick. It's not his fault he has to take care of her (he does mention he could be an a hole and dump her in some hole but that wouldn't be cool). It's life with someone who is mentally ill without the societal lens on. Mr Brit doesn't seem to pull any punches when it comes to sharing what it is like first hand. It takes a lot of courage to put something personal like that out there to be judged by others via a film.

If you only watch indy films once in a while this is one to catch. Darius Brit's done some short films that are worth checking out as well.

An impressively disciplined first feature from youtuber Darious Britt, who showcases his filmmaking advice in a tightly scripted and edited drama about a good hearted young man whose life begins to suffer due to his determination to assist his deeply troubled mother. The performances by Britt and To-Ree-Nee-Wolf are excellent, subtle and convincing. The supporting performances vary a little as some roles were most likely not played by professional actors but they all hold up and are never distracting. The story is compact and fast paced, lacking the self indulgent long shots and overly moody silences that have become as cliched as any blockbuster formulas. The low budget does show from time to time, as the camera they used, a Canon C300, is not a particularly cinematic image and there's a few too many shots in cramped apartments and undecorated hospitals and offices, but the editing and acting is so good that these are very minor complaints. Arizona is shown as a sparsely populated stretching piece of land that fits the theme of a young man seemingly alone in a desperate situation. The messages are conveyed simply and honestly, and avoid overly manipulative melodrama. The movie has a goal and it achieves it in short. It is a perfect example of story and character trumping budget and scale. A highly recommended watch that is moving and sincere.