Like Me

I looked at the list of movies Addison Timlin has been in and I've seen quite a few of them but I had no idea who she was. That doesn't say much about her as an actress. "Like Me" while it has its moments, all in all, is a crap movie that I couldn't wait to be over. It could have and should have been much better. Kiya is a very disturbed character who deserved bad things to happen to her.

I wanted to like it. I thought the premise was a great one for a movie but the execution was all wrong and it made me feel as if I were on a bad acid trip instead.

This is definitely an art project. It is also definitely a "love it" or "hate it" type of film. I don't think too many people will fall into the middle.

The gentleman who made is was very good at finding talented cast, because poor acting might have destroyed this fragile project. He is also an excellent cinematographer and film editor (the latter of which is often death for indie films. Editing is art and too few really do it well).

As some of the negative reviewers have pointed out, this isn't a heavily plot driven film. There is definitely a story, but this is more character and social commentary than it is a simple act 1 act 2 act 3 type of film.

The visuals are gorgeous. A little bit psychedelic and sometimes a little grating, but really well done. Set designs were sometimes awe-inspiring.

If I had one criticism it is the sound. Some of the effects are way over the top. I realize everyone has different tolerance levels but for me some of the screeching sounds hit at a level somewhere below "Please call an ambulance, I've just had an aneurism" and just over "Can you check my ears and see if they are actually bleeding?" So if you're watching this at home, keep the remote handy.

If you enjoy film as art and don't mind violence, you might love this. There were moments I cringed and moments I laughed out loud (and some of them were even probably the correct moments for those reactions). I grinned a lot.

Applause.

And to think I was going to avoid this based on some early keywords that I'd heard based on its premise, e.g. troubled teen, social media broadcast, millennial trash, and other such things that make me groan. And yet, what awaited me was one of the highlights of the year.

It's certainly not going to be everyone's favorite biscuit, especially for those who place things like 'plot' above all else. I'll happily admit that this lacks a traditional plot, focusing instead on an extended circumstance that quickly gets out of hand, and the overall disturbing mental stability of a young woman getting an adrenaline kick from doing bad things. But where this excels is in its stylised editing, the color palettes (and some sweet neon that tickles my fancy), great performances and a bleak insight into the sad reality of many teens and adults today.

Robert Mockler's debut came out of nowhere and in many ways, it resembles a contemporary version of Gregg Araki's The Doom Generation (1995); where even the premise is coincidentally similar. Except in this case, the descent into violence and the macabre is fuelled by social media; such as content-reaction videos, internet infamy and hate trolls. But the base ingredient seldom changes; that being of the instability of certain young people whose boredom and apathy venture into a twisted game of hurting others to feel something more; adrenaline, empowerment, invincibility, etc. And in many cases, simply because they can, with the lives of others carrying little to no merit in their eyes. The stunning Addison Timlin plays this character brilliantly - a tomboyish emo teen - despite her 26 years of age when this movie was shot.

Almost every shot is a beautiful picture (despite the often gruesome content) and the mood accompanies the style of the movie perfectly. An arthouse acid trip of a movie that hits all my pretty buttons. *The ideal after-midnight movie.

Couldn't stop watching. No clue what happens next at any time. Strong ending also. I thoroughly enjoyed it.