Nerve

I saw this at a film festival in New York. Although billed as a seriocomedy, it wound up being surprisingly dramatic-- although there were several laugh out loud moments.

Tyler Langdon and Laura Ramos both did excellent performances, but it's Peter Divito that I was most a fan of. My brother has social anxiety too so it was nice to see a movie tackle the subject in a very original way. In fact, I think this may be the only film ever about social anxiety.

Good music too. Mostly indie rock bands, but also a ton of classical-- some famous, some not. Like I said, very original film. Never seen anything like this before.

A shy young man in Los Angeles agrees to be the subject of a grad student's dissertation paper.

"Nerve" (2011) is an indie written & directed by one man, costing only $27,500, which is surprising given the professionalism of the proceedings. The male protagonist, played by Tyler Langdon, comes across as a combination of Emilio Estevez and Chris Evans. Meanwhile winsome Laura Alexandra Ramos plays the raven-haired, dark-eyed female protagonist and is, for me, the main highlight.

It's quirky and spiced with subtly amusing bits. The story could've gone over-the-edge with a thrill or two, but the writer/director decided to keep the happenings mundane with the (presumed) perception that less is more. There are enough understated insights to make it worth a second viewing down the line.

It runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.

GRADE: B-

I had to write this review cause a few people I know who've seen the film are having issues concerning how the disorder is portrayed. This is a fictional story about one person dealing with his anxiety, social anxiety included. Although it doesn't pretend to be THE movie about social anxiety, I do think that most of the facts presented the film are true about the condition. My friend has anxiety issues and totally gets why the character makes some of the decisions he does. When he starts the treatment for SAD and then ends up 'seemingly' helped later on, I understood that months had past. And we learn quite quickly that he still has his problems. In fact, the whole movie seems to be about what NOT to do as a psychologist, which is why she's only a STUDENT. I definitely recommend this film! I only wish they had a bigger budget!

I give it a full 10 stars, because of the quality of the story and production considering their small budget. Though the movie has a commercial feel, make no mistake this is definitely a indie. The events that unfold are unexpected and the structure to the whole film keeps you on your toes. Josh is a man with anxiety problems. like social anxiety, panic attacks, etc. His sole hope for having a normal relationship is with a pretty girl working on a paper about the subject. As the story progresses, to create the family he never had, he begins to invite homeless people into his apartment which upsets his roommie. Things continue to escalate from there as we slowly peel away at Josh's psyche.

J.R. Sawyers' Nerve is a story about a socially phobic man who has to struggle to overcome his fears. Made on a shoe string budget the relatively unknown actors Tyler Langdon and Laura Alexandra Ramos turn in decent performances, helped by the witty dialog. Yet, I feel if this was made for bigger bucks, it may have turned into something greater. As it is, it's an interesting little indie film with a rather realistic take on mental illness and the way society views people afflicted with it. Good ideas but shaky execution. At times, the acting seems a little unconvincing and forced and I can't help but feel as if it's poking more fun at mental illness and social anxiety in a much more nasty way then it really intends. 4 out of 10 stars