Looking Through Lillian

Forget about the fairy tales, this is the way it really is. Pretty girls who get the prince find themselves trapped in twisted castles. Lillian is a kept woman and has it all - stunning looks, great body, expensive clothes, she even drives a Porsche. But wait til you find out what she has to do to keep it! Jade Henham could have just stood there and let the camera photograph her, but no. Henham can actually act. She gives us another side of Lillian - the scared, vulnerable little girl who's falling apart at the seams. Sam Bottoms is worthwhile in a skirt. His full frontal nudity scene is worth my $9. The movie is slow in spots and the rest of the cast is weak, though Luke is not bad on the eyes. But the end is worth the wait. Who is this Jake Torem and what else has he done? Man does this guy have the guts to give it to you raw!

OK, so I'll admit to not seeing the movie but I was actually a member of the production team (low level) and could not believe it when a friend of mine introduced me to this site asking what the most obscure film I could think of was. I was willing to test his enthusiasm over a site that "has every movie you've ever heard of on it." Well, I lived in LA for a few years and worked on a few indies and had no idea this film had even made it to release when I blurted out this title. As you know, it was here, shocking the hell out of me!

To the crew and Jake (and the DP I can picture jerking his head around like a chicken for laughs) I say congratulations! I did not know much at the time but the weeks I worked were an eye-opening experience. I won't say the set was like "Living in Oblivion" but it was close. I met some great people on-set and got to say goodbye to a few before I left. ("We need more wind.") I can't bring myself to divulge any messy off camera details although it was tense, loud at times, obviously bawdy and a bit hard to merely standby at times. The crew, for the most part, were professionals and held up their end which is why I will definitely watch this film soon.

Just had to chime in and express my amazement that this site truly has "every movie you've ever heard of." If you're a crew member then no, I brought you coffee(and drove from the cliffs to Tony Roma's or the Stinking Rose, I can't remember which).

The hardest part about watching an Independent Film, for me, is that they usually try too hard to be a big budget Hollywood picture. So hard that they blow their opportunity to do what most big budget films don't --- which is to tell a real story. A story with emotion, with heart and with real human decisions we all have to make. "Looking Through Lillian" is NOT one of those films who tries to hard. It's a wonderful look inside a troubled girl, who's life situation may not be typical, but her struggles within herself and to find herself are exactly what we all go through. All the key elements which make a truly great film are in "Looking": Story, Acting, Directing and Photography. The film knows what it is and isn't afraid to be just that.

I read some of the other comments on this page and they vary, like all opinions do. But there is one comment on this page that seems to be coming from somewhere else. The commenter trashes the film so much that it's obvious they are either a disgruntled Production Assistant or maybe the bizarre sexual perversions in the film hit a bit too close to home. Either way, anyone that would trash an independent film this much has no idea what kind of effort, dedication and shear heart and soul it takes to pull it off. Comments like these go way beyond honest critiquing and venture into the kind of stuff that should be reserved for a licensed therapist.

Why... that's my only question, why this horrible soundtrack of a garage band with no talent , this cast ( i'm sure in some scenes reading off cards ).... why all the clichees ever seen are all in this flick ALL of them, can you one second fall for any of these caracters or actually believe in this cheezy romance. Plain horrible .. stay very very far from this movie please I beg you. There's so much excellent indie film out there. why

A lot of people look toward the 20 something generation and still aren't sure what to make of us. This movie shows you that anyone can be screwed up and that we all have our share of dark little secrets. The story gives a perverse look into the lives of three people that are very much like anyone you know.

First there's Lillian, and it's cool cause through out the movie that's just what we're all doing - looking at her from all directions (Looking Through Lillian). The actress reminded me a little of Jane March - exotic and aloof - and by the end of the film, even though you still don't quite know who she is, she tears your heart out.

Then there's Luke, who's portrayed as this sort of smug, sarcastic writer. I could really relate to some of the things he said and there's this great scene where he throws Lillian for a genuine loop and I was like "I should try that some time" (you'll know what I mean when you see the movie).

Last but not least, there's Gene (who I'm happy to say is not part of my twenty something generation), who has this twisted creepy little secret. At first, you're like "No Way", but I honestly have to say he pulls it off pretty scarily.

It's a trip to watch where this movie lands and since Trainspotting came out, I've been waiting for someone in America to pull off something new and do it with some style. Jake Torem is a filmmaker who does just that.

P.T.A. look out...