Blame

The trailer is extremely misleading first off (.) Had this film been presented in the way it should have, it would have had a better review. Yes it's a slow burn, yes it's a coming of age film, but the content is so much more. In a digital age we are all guilty of looking for instant gratification and scandal. We sometimes forget life it's self is messy. Every love ballot or tragedy was not written by Shakespeare rather a real person desperately trying to navigate the muddy waters the surround us all.

"Blame" treads on some risky territory, but Quinn Shephard handles it with maturity and nuance far beyond her 22 years. The acting is solid from all involved. Kudos to Chris Messina for working with this young filmmaker and portraying a man who is certainly flawed, but is not evil.

Some reviewers have thrown around the word "pedophilia" and I suggest they look up the word in the dictionary. While the relationship between the teacher and the student is inappropriately close, it is mostly an emotional affair between 2 lonely souls.

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!

An ok little movie. Fair plot, acting, direction. All a bit over the top and unrealistic really. Annoying, stupid characters.

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.