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.

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

"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.

The girls are attractive; the drama teacher is not. Yet both of the hysterical, psychotic HS girls want him. None of the characters are likable, relatable, or even tolerable. I gave up emotional attachment to the film after the first half. I just let them play it out; and get what they deserved. By the end, I was hoping it would all blow up. But then, it didn't. It didn't do anything at all.

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.