My Suicide

Why are "teen movies" synonymous with campy, cheesecake, potty humor flicks that numb your brain into senselessness? Don't get me wrong, I loved "Porky's" as much as any hormone-drenched youth. But here, it's a real treat to see a "teen flick" with some real guts.

I hope my first paragraph didn't scare you off, because it would've scared me off if I'd been told that this film is about teen issues. Been there, done that, never wanna go back. My entire life was "The Breakfast Club" only I never got the girl :( But "Archie's Final Project" is done in such a creative, provocative way that you'll find yourself glued to the screen from the first 5 minutes.

Archie introduces the film by announcing he's going to kill himself by the end. This simple trick establishes a feeling of suspense that never lets up, even during the lighter, comedic moments. Note: do NOT miss the deleted scene on the DVD featuring the hilarious Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, Spinal Tap, etc) as the new-age healer. Perhaps they cut it because it was TOO funny.

As the title suggests, "Archie's Final Project" is his project for a high school video class. With that premise it can get away with a lot of quirky, over-stylized, A.D.D. type effects as only a teenage amateur film student could do. But in it you'll find a degree of poetry, depth and authenticity that only a teenage amateur film student could do. Stylistically, it's daring enough to do things that most directors would be afraid to try. But it's not just empty style. The themes are very deep, and (largely thanks to David Carradine playing the magnetic & enigmatic cult poet) it injects some profound philosophy in the midst of the spectacle.

Like I said, it's very authentic. This is largely due to an excellent performance by Gabriel Sunday as the loner kid whom nobody really knows about. Basically the whole film is a string of his monologues, but they never get boring. A nice touch was the way he constantly slips into doing impressions of classic films, including but not limited to: The Deer Hunter, The Matrix, Cool Hand Luke, Apocalypse Now, and half a dozen others I didn't recognize.

In all, this film makes me think of how Catcher in the Rye would've been if set in modern times with HD cameras and multimedia editing software. It's literature on the big screen. Absolutely brilliant.

Thank you, Netflix, for introducing me to this little gem. Archie's Final Project (or, listed on Netflix by its original title, "My Suicide") caught my eye due to its themes of teen suicide and school controversies; I was the subject of a similar school controversy myself at 12-years-old that resulted in my expulsion and attempted suicide before such things were really discussed and explored in depth. Thus, anything that features these important themes attracts me like a fly to light.

Gabriel Sunday plays Archie Williams, a 17-year-old media geek who announces to his media class that his final project will be to film his suicide. He also seems to believe his entire life is a movie--as another review said, this is another interesting take on the Truman Show delusion that serves its own twists and turns. Thus begins one of the most unique and interesting movies I've ever seen. My Suicide is filmed almost like a documentary, as if we are, in fact, watching Archie's final project after his planned suicide. Interwoven between scenes of the aftermath of Archie's suicide film announcement are montages of colorful teenage visual ramblings, further character development of Archie and his troubled crush Sierra, and bursts of dark comedy. Sunday is absolutely mesmerizing to watch as Archie; he was just 19 when he played the role, and he plays it so believably. Undeniably charming, troubled, awkward, odd, yet fantastically skilled at playing both sides of the line between comedy and tragedy, Sunday is nothing short of amazing, and his few film/TV credits since this are baffling to me. Why in the world isn't this man in more stuff?

A total surprise to me was Sierra's inclusion in the story (played by Brooke Nevin). At first, I thought she would distract the film from its suicidal/teen angst themes and instead focus it on teenage romance. While there is an undeniable romantic connection between Archie and Sierra, it is realistically grounded in tragedy, a skewed immature teen vision of love (shown perfectly in a surprisingly intimate mutual cutting scene), and a shared troubled mental state. My Suicide is at times hard to watch because you are watching confused teens make bad decisions or simply refuse to take important decisions seriously with lax attitudes at the risk of fatal consequences; yet, because of that, it is utterly realistic and devastating. This movie made me both laugh out loud and dread the eventual ending as I feared these characters would make the ultimate decision. Without spoilers, I can say that at least one teenager in the movie commits suicide; while the act itself isn't shown, the aftermath is (including the body) and it's soul-wrenching. It's a depressingly beautiful scene that wallows in its finality and shocking morbidity; as someone who has attempted suicide, I appreciated the way this scene was handled.

My Suicide appears to have been quite the indie darling upon its release in 2009, evidenced by its many awards at multiple film festivals. It deserves them all, though they clearly didn't give the film the exposure it truly deserves. At times delightfully comedic and at other times oppressively tragic, My Suicide starts out like a teenager's school project and seems to mature along with its protagonist as the seconds go by and the darker themes crawl over each scene like an oppressive fog. Every second of its journey is interesting and hit me close to the heart.

I just saw this movie earlier tonight at a screening, and I can honestly say that it was an excellent movie. I do hope that it gets a theatrical release. It was very different from any other movie that I have ever seen and I think that's what makes it so interesting and delightful. It is a little dark and has a lot of vulgar language, but that it was makes the movie so realistic and able to relate to. And then again, it is about suicide. Also, the movie has a great message and has a a compelling way to get through to the audience, and more importantly, the youth. Because the youth is what it is mainly targeting towards. Definitely go see it because not a lot of movies like this are out there.

I really enjoyed this touching, low budget indie. The film has a very unique style that I enjoyed, with the way it switches between it's daydream like animation and normal. Crazy, experimental, and inventive, but that's what makes it so interesting and special. It's different than anything I have seen and I found the visuals to be captivating. Maybe slightly dated, but that didn't detract at all for me. If anything, it gave me an early 2000's nostalgic feel.

It was surprisingly intelligent and insightful. Lots of tonal shifts, but it covers the whole emotional spectrum seamlessly. Heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time and a sharp, witty sense of humor that captures the heart of the character and teenage angst well. It leaves you with lots of food for thought. It has some intriguing philosophy that leaves you with some fantastic quotes and monologues about its deep themes. It's relatable, though not meant in an edgy way. It brings up for discussion some of the darker thoughts that creep into everyone's mind sometimes.

Archies' character felt tangible, and there were well done portrayals of human anguish all around. I also really liked the movie's soundtrack. Although I realize this movie isn't perfect and I could understand if some thought it was flawed or cliched, for now it holds a sweet spot with me.

8.8/10

This film is about a boy who suffers from the fantasy unique to our age: the belief that one's entire life is a movie. The Truman Show is a good example of this: the notion that one's entire life is so perfect, so banal, repetitious and ordinary, that it must be scripted-- it cannot possibly be real. So this boy, Archie, records as much of his life as he possibly can on video, and edits it together in his room.

The problem is, no matter how much of his life he makes into a movie, it still feels meaningless. So he announces in his high school film class that he will make a movie in which he kills himself. That will be the plot and the grand finale.

His entire neighborhood starts gossiping about him, and his life changes enormously. This is when his real movie-making starts. Suicide is always lurking near him, and the entire movie is a play on various questions of suicide: when we kill ourselves, what are we doing? Is every death a 'suicide' because of the necessarily unsafe ways we live our lives? Is suicide an act of freedom and defiance, or of conformity and weakness-- or neither?

Some great cameos from unexpected actors add to the film a lot.

This is one of those rare films that covers the entire emotional spectrum, and does so effortlessly. It is as hilarious as it is tragic, as fragmented as it is thorough. If it receives the distribution it deserves, it will be a hit.