Freeze Frame

Ten years ago, after being accused of a hideous murder of a mother and her twin daughters, Sean Veil (Lee Evans) became paranoid, filming himself along twenty-four hours a day to have an alibi if necessary. The small time psychologist Saul Seger (Ian McNeice) became a famous forensic profiler and writer with the case and every now and then he accuses Sean Veil of the crime. The reporter Katie Carter (Rachel Stirling) believes in Sean's innocence. When the body of the missing Mary Shaw is found, Sean has to prove where he was five years ago. However, the tapes that can prove that he is not guilty have mysteriously disappeared from the storage shelf and Sean suspects that Saul has stolen them to incriminate him.

The dark, intriguing and original "Freeze Frame" is a great surprise. This low-budget movie has a very weird and confused beginning, with a bizarre character and an eerie but stylish cinematography, but it is worthwhile watching it if the viewer likes independent movies. The interpretation of Lee Evans is great with his paranoid character following his own rules of behavior. There are many twists and a surprising end. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Cena do Crime" ("The Crime Scene")

The film follows the life of Sean Veil who has been accused of the brutal murder of twin six year old girls, their mother and the brutal assault of their father. Sean knows that he is an innocent man, and although the court can't prove he is guilty, Detective Mountjoy (Colin Salmon) and criminal psychologist Saul Seger (Ian McNeice) are determined that he is and will do anything to put him behind bars. Determined to make sure he is never accused of anything again Sean sets up video cameras throughout his entire home and won't leave the house unless he is being videotaped on his "self-cam". When the police storm his home accusing him of another murder he can prove his innocence - or can he? As the specific tapes that are needed have gone missing.

The film is an incredibly dark, chilling and suspense filled thriller that uses many shots from the CCTV that follows Sean around his life. There is a distinct lack of colour throughout the entire film which adds to the eerie nature. The film uses many images of entrapment throughout by the use of camera shots and tricks and really shows the paranoia that runs constantly in Sean's head - even though the first thing he "must remember" is that 'Paranoia is a malfunction of the ability to reason'.

This Irish movie is my surprise hit of the weekend so far. I've never heard of this movie, and had no idea what to expect except what is on the DVD box, which looked pretty good. The story is about a guy that was accused of a brutal triple homicide ten years ago, and was let go because of technicalities. Since he believed he was being set up the police, he started videotaping every single thing he has done since then, 24/7/52, believing the cops were trying to hang other murders on him, he's turned into a real paranoid. And for good reason, because a dying sick detective is trying to get him for anything he can, before he dies himself. Bring into this a forensic crime writer who keeps giving lectures and writing books about guilty criminals that get off because of technicalities. So, our guy even has a camera mounted on his torso pointing towards his face whenever he leaves his bunker like home, which has cameras everywhere possible. Along come the cops who accuse him again, of a murder five years ago, and when he goes to find that particular tape, it is missing. YEEKS!!!! Then things get really complicated for him, and we get into a bunch of twists and turns towards the climax of the story, that made this a great Saturday night flick that's a little off center, and somewhat disturbing. Great movie, and I hope some of the rest of you have a chance to see it. Very very original, and quite creative, with excellent performances. This is my pick of the week for something out of the blue.

Sean Veil is the ultimate paranoiac, a man so convinced that everyone is out to get him that he's even begun spying on HIMSELF. However, there is actually a method to his madness, for unlike many paranoiacs, Sean has a valid reason to be fearful and suspicious of those around him. About ten years prior to the time of the story, Sean was falsely arrested for the brutal slaying of a woman and her two young daughters - a crime for which he was eventually acquitted, although the experience has left him emotionally devastated and psychologically damaged. His reputation ruined, Sean has since devised an elaborate system whereby he can videotape himself 24/7, so that he will always have an alibi if someone ever attempts to accuse him again of a crime he didn't commit. Unfortunately, Sean soon discovers that even the latest in modern technology can't guarantee his safety if the forces out to get him can figure out how to beat him at his own game.

This quirky and original Irish film suffers a bit from the constraints of its budget and the amateurishness of some of the performances. Director John Simpson's split screen technique, though intriguing at first, becomes a bit trying after awhile, and the storyline is not always as cleanly and clearly developed as it might be, although the drab, colorless look of the film perfectly reflects the drab, colorless life of its protagonist.

The movie overrides most of its flaws thanks to one element that is the real thing: Lee Evans' searing and uncompromising portrayal of an innocent man driven to the brink of madness by his obsessive need to prove that innocence. With his nervous, soft-spoken demeanor and constant look of terrified submission, Evans makes what could have been a creepy, repulsive character into a thoroughly sympathetic figure. We find ourselves so drawn to his predicament and so involved in his fate that, even at those moments when the movie itself falls flat, we stick with it anyway.

I knew nothing of this film until the day i saw it. I came across an advert for it in a local newspaper, checked out where it was showing and went to see it that night. I was gripped by the idea of this bizarre story of paranoia taken to extremes. The acting was, for the most part, very well done, Lee Evans proving he is far more than a slap-stick comic by portraying his character with stunning levels of emotion. Direction was fantastic, building the paranoia throughout the film. The only thing that let it down was the OTT ending which had me groaning in dismay. There were too many twists (most of which were blatantly foreseeable) within the last few minutes. Character development was also a little too staggered. Some of the characters seemed to change completely from one minute to the next, no gradual change or hints beforehand... On the whole, this was an intriguing film, well acted and well directed. One of the better films of the year. Maybe its time Hollywood took some notice that you don't need $200 million+ to make an enjoyable movie.