Steal Me

We saw this at the Sundance film festival at a showing in Ogden, which is an hour away from the main location of the festival (Park City). I have attended several screenings in this location as it is closest to my home, and in general, filmmakers do not attend screenings at this location as it is too much trouble. However, Melissa Painter, the director/writer of this film was a notable exception. We were absolutely thrilled that she came to the screening and did not mind at all (contrary to one woman in the front row who stood up to complain!...LOL...) waiting a few minutes for her! But I digress. The film told the compelling story of Jake, a homeless young man who is a kleptomaniac. Jake has never had the benefit of a loving family, and the film studies the effect this has had on his life. From the very beginning of the movie, I was drawn into the story of this young man and how he ends up living with a caring family, and his attempts to stay disconnected from them, while all the time being drawn to them. All of the characters are richly developed, and the beautiful location (Montana) adds to the film's visual appeal. The adventure always seems real, not using cliché to study Jake's life. All of the actors in this film did a fine job, especially the lead, Danny Alexander, who at 16 shows a lot of potential. Also wonderful were Hunter Parrish, as the boy Jake befriends early on in the film, and Cara Seymour and John Terry, who played the parents. The rest of the supporting cast was also wonderful. I recommend it!

The movie was bad. I'm sorry, but it was poorly scripted, poorly acted, and poorly executed. The only good thing I can say about this movie is the photography. The camera angles were about the only thing that seemed really thought out and even then, sometimes, they were ineffectively used.

There were so many cut scenes either flashbacks, foreshadowing, or dream sequences (i could never tell) that made absolutely no sense.

Also, the plot went nowhere. Basically, kleptomaniac sex magnet teen (Jake) enters small town, seduces women and men alike (although i failed to find him very charming), steals some more, and then leaves again. He seems to have something of an Oedipus complex as well, but we never really understand why. We never learn anything about his mother and why he's been searching so desperately for her. In fact, We learn very little about many of his relationships with the other characters. For instance, we don't know why he instantly becomes friends with Tucker after attempting to steal his car radio, we don't know why Tucker's mother is simultaneously "panicked" by and apparently attracted to Jake, just that she often stares at him and has somewhat suggestive conversations with him/about him while at the same time seeming very happy with her husband. For so many interactions with so many different characters, one would hope that their individual perspectives would be explained in some way or that Jake himself could reflect their perspectives on to the audience. But Jake's perspective too, is rather underdeveloped and all of his inner monologues are just poetic, vague explanations of why he likes to steal.

By the end I liked this film very much. Initially I was a bit put off by some technical lapses. It was hard to understand the dialog at times, and there were some confusing juxtapositions of scenes. These were not major distractions, however.

It seemed a believable portrayal of a teenage boy who had failed to attach to his mother as a child. I appreciated the non-judgmental approach of the writer/director. By allowing us to understand the context of the behavior of each of the characters, she facilitates us seeing them in a sympathetic light. I enjoyed the film. I appreciated the opportunity to participate in a Q&A session with the director after the movie. I hope the file can be viewed by a wide audience.

Okay - let's cut to the chase - everyone wants Jake. Sexually, that is. There's more to this film than just a young stranger crashing with a farm family. This movie positively screams unrequited passion. Jake (an unremarkable Danny Alexander) is a serial thief who is ostensibly on the hunt for his wanton mom, but ends up being befriended by fresh as paint farm boy Hunter (Tucker Parrish). Everyone here is obviously (for some reason) in lust with this troubled teen, especially Hunter, whose Oedipal complex would make Oedipus say 'duh'. The two take out their sexual energies for each other with fists, not frolic, but that's the kind of film this is. Hunter's mom (an excellent Cara Seymour) suppresses her secret desires for her own son by deflecting them onto Jake, and even Hunter's butch daddy seems to be in lust with Jake, wandering into the barn where he is sleeping just to 'see if everything's okay'. Hunter's pre-pubescent sister even gets into the act, with Jake telling her how beautiful she is and her 'coming of age' timed to his arrival. After an hour of all this unspoken steam, the film starts to meander and it is apparent (admitted by film maker Melissa Painter on the DVD commentary) that the movie was was being scripted as they went along. In the end, there's no great revelation here, about Jake's past or anything else, so suit yourself. But if you like to watch Montana farm folk squirm with secret lust, this flick may be for you.

I picked this one up at Blockbuster b/c the cover looked interesting and the reviews on the back caught my eye. The Acting is excellent and the storyline is quite entertaining. I cannot believe it has such a low score in here. Well, it just goes to show, not everyone likes indie films. Which leads me to my next point, that if you enjoy random indie films, you'll definitely be surprised by this one! - The main character is a kleptomaniac who's trying to come to terms with his own identity while struggling with the people in the world around him. A family takes him under their wing. I thought the mother did a particularly good job with her role in the picture. Very stimulating!!!