Rid of Me

Advertised as a black comedy, and that's all, "Rid of Me" suggests that there is an event or plot twist that should not be revealed. And indeed it does open with an obscene, aberrant action which most people have the little bit of self-restraint required to never perform such an act. Following that opening sequence, the film reveals two subtle twists which show how unique and independent this is.

After the first scene, our sympathies are forced to suddenly and dramatically shift. That's because they make you realize that we all make character judgements before we even get to know the character. I thought that was very brilliant and kept me watching. Secondly, Meris (Katie O'Grady) is like a normal person and has experienced the same sort of life events that others have. What makes this unique is that we see her thought processes as she tries to balance what has happened with what is "fair" — you know, that pesky thing that kids are taught what life is.

Meris suffers from depression. She tries to be happy, she tries to make friends, but that's hard especially for someone who suffers from depression. "Rid of Me" is a character study fused with dark comedy elements. With everything that she goes through, life finds a way of getting worse for her. But the film managed this by interspersing comic relief with the depression, but also finding new actions and new consequences for her to experience.

The production design is bleak, but that fits with the bleakness of Meris' situation and the low budget they had to work with. I was so intrigued by where they were going with Meris' character that I wasn't distracted by any of the off-putting elements of the film. I'm usually not a fan of jumpy filming and editing, and while I still didn't like it here, at least they used it in relevant places. Some of the supporting acting was weak and lessened the impact of at least one scene in particular.

But this film is not about the supporting actors or characters. This film is about Meris and Katie O'Grady. To me the character of Meris was a revelation —that's how you write depressing character studies. And O'Grady put her all into this character. I loved how you could see Meris change and stay true to herself all at the same time within her eyes.

Some people probably aren't willing to have someone like Meris as a movie heroine, but it was one of the first times I could connect to a depressed woman and have hope for realistic optimism. "Rid of Me" is minimal, bleak and off-putting, but it's also a unique, original dark comedy character study.

I loved this movie. The movie starts with a scene that is so gross and disgusting… you immediately feel sympathy for the "victim" and wonder how someone could be so horrible to another human being. But then you are taken back to the beginning… way before the previous scene… to a time when everything was going well. It doesn't take long before you begin to like Maris and your feelings get all twisted inside. Who hasn't met the family or friends of a loved one and wonder if you could ever fit in… if they will like you? The music in this movie puts you on the edge of your seat, bracing you for the worst. You begin to realize that you are sympathizing for Maris and not her "victim." You are cheering for Maris. This movie plays on every emotion. Katie O'Grady is wonderful and James Westby has truly created some interesting characters and a great film.

I enjoyed the movie. The filmography, with long close-ups of faces and eyes, fantasies, and flashbacks or forwards depicted the emotions someone in a similar situation might feel. Watching the film I had, "Oh honey! No! Don't do that!" moments, or, "Oh crap that's awful, I hate it when that happens," and "Pull yourself up by your bootstraps," and "Oh, now that's just degrading, but you probably needed to live through it to get past it," moments. People everywhere have acted out after disappointments and this is a great depiction of someone searching for something both during, and after, an epic loss. The soundtrack was great. I don't know what it cost, but it made me *feel* as much as Titanic ever could, and I assume on a fraction of the budget.

This film was not perfect. Neither was yours. It was, however, tender and enlightening if viewers would allow themselves to really see the story being told. The film was "all over the place" and the protagonist, that's the main character to you and me, was "gratingly child-like" as some professional critics have said because that's what your life is like when you have lost yourself and your heart aches and you wonder if you will ever be o.k. That's it. The acting doesn't have to be great, the story is. This movie will touch you and give you hope if you just let it. I think more people would be more adjusted if they let themselves go to the brink of existence, go a little crazy and open their eyes to who they can become.

I can be a bit squeamish about this or that, so the first 10 minutes or so of this film made me wonder what I was getting into, but I was soon deeply involved in poor Maris' sheltered life. It is a journey and I loved watching every darkly funny moment of it. Yes, the film is low- budget but the writing - the three acts, the dramatic arc - is all there. There is actually falling action and a full resolution after the horrifying climax. I was giggling at Maris, sad for Maris, laughing with Maris, cheering for Maris, fearing for Maris...and I won't spoil the ending, which I loved. I also loved her sugar-addicted friend. Please take this film to be very much like the very early days of independent film, where locals could be found in the background and local artists made cameos. If you liked "Scumrock" or other films like that, then you'll like this film.

Honestly, I'm troubled by the poor reviews of this film because I think it handles the very important subject of how we treat people who don't fall in what we consider the mainstream - from women, to artists, to people of color. Perhaps it takes on some parts of this subject on more than others, but it's only one movie. I also really liked some of the humor with ominous sound, when cutting to shots that showed the small town/pre-fab housing tableaux, for example. Lots of fun moments in this film.

Again, I do not understand why people are giving this film a bad review. As someone who is a life-long film watcher (films from all over the world, both big and small budget) and as someone with many friends who work in film, I see this film as nothing but a success. Perhaps the people reviewing the work have some other motives in mind.