arfdawg-1

Plot: Documentary following the story of teenager Jamie Campbell, who wants to be a drag queen. Allegedly growing up in an ex-mining village in County Durham, Jamie has already faced his fair share of difficulties in his mind after coming out as gay at 14.

However, with the majority of his family and friends being supportive, he has decided that he is ready to share his passion with the world. Like the world is interested.

He plans to embrace who he really is by attending his end of school prom in drag, but he doesn't get the reaction he'd hoped for from both his school and, heart-breakingly, his own father. Do you wonder why? I mean really.

So Jamie spends time with an established drag artist he he magically finds in podunk Durham County, and battles his demons, performing as his alter ego, Fifi La True, for the very first time in front of a large audience.

What a poor excuse for a documentary. None of it is believable. And Jamie is a very unlikeable character. The entire doc appears to be nothing more than a scripted movie with an agenda. Don't waste your time. There are better docs out there.

"Afraid" starts with a promising premise, but unfortunately, the script quickly unravels into a tangled mess that leaves viewers scratching their heads. The film initially sets up an intriguing atmosphere, with its eerie tone and suspenseful pacing drawing you in. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the script struggles to maintain coherence, relying on tired clichés and underdeveloped characters to move the plot forward.

The dialogue feels stilted and unnatural, often pulling you out of the experience rather than immersing you in it. Key moments that should evoke tension or emotion instead come across as forced or unintentionally comical. The lack of depth in the characters makes it difficult to care about their fates, and the plot holes are impossible to ignore.

The most jarring issue, however, is the abrupt left turn the story takes in its final act. What begins as a horror thriller suddenly veers into an entirely different genre, leaving the audience bewildered. This shift feels unearned and completely undermines the buildup of the first two-thirds of the movie. Instead of a satisfying conclusion, viewers are left with a finale that feels rushed, nonsensical, and disconnected from the rest of the film.

While Afraid had potential, its poorly executed script and baffling narrative choices ultimately derail what could have been a compelling story. It's a frustrating watch, leaving you more disappointed than scared.

Dead Mail tries hard to be mysterious, surreal, and emotionally gripping-but ends up as a confusing, over-directed mess. While the acting is passable (and occasionally quite strong), it's ultimately wasted on a story that's so convoluted, it borders on nonsensical.

The plot meanders without purpose, stacking cryptic moments that never pay off and characters that seem to exist solely to deliver cryptic dialogue. Rather than building intrigue, the film feels like it's constantly trying to convince you it's smarter than it is. The result is frustrating, not fascinating.

The direction doesn't help. It feels self-indulgent and unsure of itself-flipping between visual styles and tones with no clear vision. Scenes drag on or cut abruptly, leaving emotional beats either overwrought or unfinished. The musical score is particularly baffling: a jarring mix of ambient noise and overdramatic cues that often clash with the scene's tone rather than support it.

Ultimately, Dead Mail wants desperately to be a David Lynch film-but without Lynch's control, vision, or talent. Instead, it comes off as a poor imitation of surrealism, mistaking confusion for complexity and aesthetic for substance.

If you're looking for a film with real depth or meaning behind the weirdness, you won't find it here. Dead Mail is a stylish but empty envelope.

Unsure how this got any good reviews.