Purgatory House

I recently saw Purgatory House at the Gasparilla Film Festival. This film is brilliant, incredible, moving, powerful and breathtaking. A 14-year-old girl wrote this story about a 14-year old who committed suicide and ends up in Purgatory House, a sort of dorm for teens who've killed themselves. They have to wear the same clothes they had on when they died, can do all the drugs they want (who cares?), and have to attend "school" where they watch Earth TV to keep track of the people they left behind.

There were several funny parts (God is a drag queen who isn't really all that kind and loving, who makes the recently deceased compete in a game show to determine if they go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory). In addition to being funny, Purgatory House is deeply profound. Parents should show this film to their children and movie lovers should show it to their friends.

I was not sure about this movie at first, but after learning more about the writer and star of the movie I was very pleased. The overall felling of the movie was more like a play then a movie, and I think that is a good thing.

The director of the movie did an outstanding job. The move flowed with ease from scene to scene. And I can't wait to see more from this young woman.

The 14 year old star and writer of this movie was GREAT!! Her acting was far better then many so called established stars at twice her age. And considering this was here first role, she has a great future!

I hope many have the chance to see this movie, the ideas set forth in it are profound and complex.

I'm always interested in seeing teenage angsty movies like this one, since I went through that rather melodramatic period when I was that age. Usually, I'm not disappointed. However, this particular film was horrible. Perhaps the idea was to make it "artsy", but it just turned out bad. The quality of filming is awful, even for a film that tries to use jittery, "chaotic" filming. I could have made a film of the same grade with my digital camera and a couple of lamps. Of course, the special effects were horrifically bad. The acting was absolutely ATROCIOUS, especially the main character. Regardless of her "talent" to write and direct this movie, she was horrible. She had zero acting skill, horrible timing, and the inability to properly deliver lines. The supporting cast was almost as nauseating, with large gaps between lines and huge pauses in the middles of sentences that couldn't even be disguised as "dramatic effect". The music was weak. It was as though the people in charge of music had done a Google search for lyrics corresponding to the topic of the scene. There were several good songs, but often, I found myself getting utterly distracted from the film because of the songs. Not to say it was hard to get distracted. I was literally bored to tears in some parts. The idea is interesting, however, the style it is written in is very amateur, which makes it obvious that it was made by an inexperienced playwright. The lines lack strength and emotion- they sound like bad poetry out of a B-grade emo teen magazine. In theory, a somewhat clever idea for a movie, however, it failed painfully in execution. As someone who is only a number of years outside of the age shown in this movie, I have to honestly say that watching this movie MADE me want to go do drugs and then kill myself. So what kind of message is that supposed to convey? The ONLY reason that I'm giving this movie a 2 is because the scene where the main character died had the potential to be interesting. That's it. And, of course, the ending was horrible and nauseatingly predictable. I won't even bother spoiling it for you- just read the back of the case and I'm sure you can accurately guess what happens.

Don't waste your time, unless you're a masochist. But even then, don't expect your type to be portrayed artfully. So it would probably be an insult either way.

I must say, this is the best movie i've seen since American Beauty. I saw this movie at Waterfront Film Festival in saugatuck, Michegan, and loved it. the fact that it was written by someone MY age, just opened my eyes in a lot of ways. i can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD, it will definitely be part of my collection. I loved the way she portrayed God, as a dragqueen, and how she didn't lie about the s**t kids go through, its not all that fantasy for kids to shoot up in their high school bathroom. It is on my favorite list, (which also includes American Beauty, The Hours, Requium for a dream, Kids, you know..syco drug movies.) well thats my thoughts, go see it, its wonderful

Honestly, this movie is the reason teenagers don't make movies. The message, which, though undefined, is loosely construed as "Don't kill yourself" rings hollow, and, as a teenager, the complete lack of realism and depth to the characters makes it utterly unwatchable.

I think it is wonderful that a young writer got her break, but it falls short of being anything meaningful or even well-written. The acting is dreadful, but not quite as dreadful as the stale, unrealistic dialog.

The only saving point in this movie is Jim Hanks, but even his bright acting and excellent delivery can't save this sinking ship of a film.

The real question? How does a movie that reads like a public service announcement written by well, a fourteen-year-old girl, win seven independent film awards?