Who Are You People

This movie was almost perfect. For those who are upset that actors like Devon Sawa or Alyssa Milano have been able to demonstrate a different angle later in their careers, that seems unfortunate as it probably hindered the ability to appreciate a beautiful movie. Plot and relationships in the movie were well developed, nothing over the top, just a great watch.

Sure, we've all seen some variation of this story, much like every other movie that gets 9/10 in spite of being a spin off of any classic story ever told with better effects or bigger names. This movie has it all, excitement, tears, twists, struggle, triumph, and far from a predictable or intentionally mushy ending. Best I've seen in awhile.

Alex (Ema Horvath) is a rebellious disconnected 16 year old in Portland. She looks at a picture of her family and asks the title question. She has no friends at school and only one at a different school. After an inappropriate incident with her teacher, she finds a letter in her mother (Alyssa Milano)'s desk. Her father is not her biological father and she sets off to find her missing parent (Devon Sawa).

Most of the time, I complain about older actors playing teenagers. In this case, I don't mind Ema being in her late 20's. This movie is uncomfortable enough as it is. I put most of the awkwardness down to a clueless know-it-all teen lead character. It's not the fun coming-of-age film that it probably wants to be. It can't be due to the subject matter. The reveal is pretty obvious early on. At least, it's not a surprise to any alert viewer. There are a few needed changes. Mostly, it needs to darken the tone of the movie. Whether it's the music score or the few attempted jokes, this movie needs to clip those out. This is only going to work if it's dark.

What a fantastic, thought-provoking movie. We accidentally discovered this on steaming last weekend and I'm so glad we did. It's so refreshing to watch filmmakers who still aren't afraid to take risks. This one does does - and it definitely pays off. I'd highly recommend this film to anyone looking for a rewarding movie-watching experience. The acting is great and so is the script and directing. The characters feel real and the story is totally engaging. Ema Horvath is phenomenal as the lead. She delivers the kind of fearless performance so rarely seen these days. Do yourself a favor and be sure to check it out!

It's an interesting time in the movie industry with all these low budget films being knocked out one after the other. And mostly with aging film actors who had their day years ago in big box office features or hit TV shows. The problem is that they aren't very good, and they leave the viewer expecting much more than they promise. In this case with "Who Are You People" it's simply just another cliche with a predictable storyline you can guess in the first half hour. Ironically, the younger actors seem to bring more nuance and interest to the film than the older actors who come off as wooden and vapid. There's is obviously a reason why Alyssa Milano never did much more than a TV sitcom. And that doesn't help the predictable storyline in this case. I'm sure there will be some who enjoy this type of cliche, and sometimes even I enjoy them. But it's hard to do that in this case with they was it was all presented. On the other hand, it's a lot better than most of the other one star films out there...kind of like the 10 star film of the one stars.

What seems at first like it will be a simple feel-good family drama with a nice bow at the end reveals itself to be an unexpectedly complex exploration of family, morality, and whether people can change.

Without giving away any spoilers, the director deftly and sensitively explores complicated experiences of its characters without seeming too trite or sensational. Add to that a stellar cast, and gorgeous cinematography and sets, and I'm planning to revisit it again this week now that I know about the big plot twist at the end.

This is a great indie flick that you'll want to watch a few times.