Blame

I didn't know until the movie was over just how many times the name of the star Quinn Shepard would appear in the credits. So a lot of the credit for how the movie turned out should go to her, and not just for her fine performance. When she played the part of the "Crucible" character, she was quite good. In fact, too good, but I don't want to give too much away. And when she was merely the high school student, she managed to display quite a range, not just the disturbed and insecure girl shown at the movie's start. Sometimes she showed confidence and sometimes she was happy. And sometimes she was terrified and sometime quite sad. And she wore a lot of outfits, one or two somewhat puritanical like her character.

That's just the character of Abigail. But then she directed and wrote too? Not quite an Oscar caliber production, but this girl is young enough to play a teenager. Amazing! Also, she was responsible for a lot of the music. Given my musical taste, that's not something to brag about, but the teen girls who are probably the movie's target audience must surely like what she did.

Nadia Alexander played the nearly ideal mean girl. Usually angry and dressed like a rebel, with loud "music" blasting to drown out the rest of the world. And she likes skimpy outfits, which will make one possible target audience happy. Still, she has a vulnerable side and shows that quite well in several scenes. Understandably, this is a girl who doesn't want to show that about her. And she has a good reason for her anger.

Sarah Mezzanotte is another bad girl, but not angry. Just trying to be a friend. Those who don't support her friend can't be friends with her. Well, maybe they can, but only if it benefits Sophie. I really was convinced Sophie was trying to show concern, but with all the scheming and lying going on, who knows?

Tessa Albertson isn't really a bad girl. She just wants to be liked by her friends. But are they really her friends? And she too gets to be vulnerable.

Luke Slattery is nice enough or trying to convince people he is. He is involved in real or pretend romance with so many girls, can you blame him for being confusing? He is likable though.

Owen Campbell is a kind of mean guy who is also likable in a way, but more snarky than his friend.

Chris Messina is the teacher who may or may not be getting too close to a particularly talented student who really wants to learn not just acting, but everything that goes into theater. He's likable enough and good at the role in "The Crucible".

I have said a lot of good things, but other than the fact this movie is a great effort from a young person, it wouldn't be called outstanding. It mostly sticks close to the teen movie formula with bad girls, bullying, lying, drinking, implied sex, drugs and so on. There is an amazing plot twist late, though given some reviews and summaries I have read since I watched, I now wonder how much I missed and whether the development was really unexpected.

I did see this on broadcast TV and based on what I have read, some scenes may have been cut out completely. I do know a lot of bad language was removed. Although in the version I saw, the censors somehow missed one use of the F-word that might be missed if someone is not paying attention, since it is in the background. And in Ellie's diary, if you freeze the video (I record everything) and read the parts that are not what you're supposed to be reading, the s-word is there. I think it goes without saying this is far from family-friendly. For those who like it, the cheerleaders are shown changing. And in their uniforms dancing.

I've already mentioned the music isn't my taste, but maybe for teen girls, this is what is considered good. Rap is there for those who like that sort of thing.

If you don't mind yet another teen movie which seems to be better than average, I think this might please you.

It seems several people are confused by Abigail's limp that goes away. The first scene she did in the beginning of the movie, for the pregnant drama teacher, was from Tennessee Williams " The Glass Menagerie". The character she was portraying, Laura Wingfield, has a limp. She was in character.

The girls are attractive; the drama teacher is not. Yet both of the hysterical, psychotic HS girls want him. None of the characters are likable, relatable, or even tolerable. I gave up emotional attachment to the film after the first half. I just let them play it out; and get what they deserved. By the end, I was hoping it would all blow up. But then, it didn't. It didn't do anything at all.

A thriller disguised as a character drama. I knew very little about Blame going into it, and that was for the best -- Let it surprise you. This movie is fantastic and so supremely clever. As both a directorial and writing debut, this is a wild success, and to have it helmed by a strong performance from the director, writer, producer, and songwriter herself? Amazing. Quinn Shephard is only 22 and she's already who I wanna be when I grow up.

Every character is granted so much complexity and range without ever causing a stagnant moment in the story itself. The poster gives off the idea that these girls are being pitted against each other, and while the film initially follows that model, we soon see that these characters have far more compassion for one another than we though. Their relationships are so good, and the way they evolve is even better. I didn't expect this to be a story full of twists and turns, but as a high-school adaptation of The Crucible, it's perfectly fitting. The plants and payoffs Shephard weaves into her narrative are satisfying in the most genuine way.

There are perhaps a few moments when Shephard's attention to her character's spreads too far, and we lose sight of our protagonist, but the successes here far outweigh any slight missteps. I don't know how wide of a release this received, but if any of you are able to see this in theaters or on VOD, I strongly recommend it. I love a good high-school movie, and Blame just might be a great one.

I'm gonna keep this spoiler-free as I really want to speak to potential viewers BUT I will mark clearly at the very end some spoilers so that you can avoid it. But I wanted to cover that bit a little.

So, I gave this a chance despite the low rating as I don't really trust IMDB ratings anymore. I'm really glad I did. This turned out to be a nuanced, complex, and interesting film. I only discovered afterwards that the 22 year old young woman who played the lead also co-wrote it, directed it, and produced and/or wrote most of the songs in it. She is someone to watch as it's so surprising to me that somebody so young could get across such complex ideas.

What I loved is there is no Bad Guy/Good Guy-everyone is just human, with good qualities and bad. I don't think the trailer conveyed that. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered which some have complained about, but I still find it satisfying as Miss Shephard gave us enough clues that we can fill it in. Many audiences today prefer not to have to think and ponder and use their imagination, they just want stories with simple plots that tell them everything. I found it wonderful. To wrap up, give this a chance!! Especially if you enjoy unusual indie movies.

SPOILERS NEXT. LOOK AWAY IF YOU DONT WANT TO SEE!

****

I loved this ending, I really did. Those last few scenes weave together perfectly. The way it ended with her teacher was fantastic. He showed respect for her and it was obvious on her face that that meant the world to her. She felt valuable. And we are left reminded that even people who make very very poor choices, can have moments of maturity and kindness. Lovely film!