Blame

"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.

A thriller disguised as a character drama. I knew very little about Blame going into it, and that was for the best -- Let it surprise you. This movie is fantastic and so supremely clever. As both a directorial and writing debut, this is a wild success, and to have it helmed by a strong performance from the director, writer, producer, and songwriter herself? Amazing. Quinn Shephard is only 22 and she's already who I wanna be when I grow up.

Every character is granted so much complexity and range without ever causing a stagnant moment in the story itself. The poster gives off the idea that these girls are being pitted against each other, and while the film initially follows that model, we soon see that these characters have far more compassion for one another than we though. Their relationships are so good, and the way they evolve is even better. I didn't expect this to be a story full of twists and turns, but as a high-school adaptation of The Crucible, it's perfectly fitting. The plants and payoffs Shephard weaves into her narrative are satisfying in the most genuine way.

There are perhaps a few moments when Shephard's attention to her character's spreads too far, and we lose sight of our protagonist, but the successes here far outweigh any slight missteps. I don't know how wide of a release this received, but if any of you are able to see this in theaters or on VOD, I strongly recommend it. I love a good high-school movie, and Blame just might be a great one.

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

I want to appreciate to Quinn Sheppard. She has very great job. Director, writer, Actress, and lyricist for the soundtrack. Other actors really great for their acting. But, for the story, little bit confusing for me. It's good movie.

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!