0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Parents & teens need to see this film-----NOW, April 21, 2009
This review is from: Kamikazes: A Deathography (DVD)
When I was viewing this film I couldn't help think about how teens get so far away from their parents and neither parents or teens talk any more. It's all texting, email, internet, blogs, etc. No real face to face communication any more. That's what this film says to parents and teens for me... TALK TO EACH OTHER.
This can happen in your neighborhood or your own home. It is violent, but its real. No cotton candy script here. These kids are incredible actors. You are completely drawn into the "4th Wall" as a witness to their 5-day ordeal. I came away with a bit of shock and disbelief in some ways, but with a better understanding of what needs to take place so this won't happen to your kids, or mine.
The film is engaging through great direction, score and editing. It's done in a style that is more like a documentary than a cinema-graphic, scripted film with Hollywood camera angles and cool graphics. This film is an accounting of these kids' lives and what brought them to this point in this film. Please see this film, especially if you have teens.
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Under-the-radar indie is EXCELLENT!, March 28, 2009
This review is from: Kamikazes: A Deathography (DVD)
I'll start this review by saying that I watched this upon recommendation from a friend of mine- and I was very pleasantly surprised! I watched the trailer online and didn't see much other information on the web, but my curiosity was piqued. Oh, and FIRST TO POST A REVIEW :)!! Sorry, I had to...
Kamikazes a Deathography approaches the topic of teen violence in such an intimate way that you can't help but become involved in these characters or the events that unfold. This indie flick revolves around four teens that plan to commit suicide in five days, and each day leading up to the fifth, they go out and do something horrible. This movie is not filmed like any other movie with fancy angles, lighting, or even people to clean the lens before a take. It's shot by the actors, and skews the viewer to their perspective quite effectively. Think Columbine meets the Blair Witch Project, and you've got a pretty good idea of what this will look like. The thing is, no matter how violent or disturbing this film gets (and it does get disturbing), you simply can't look away, it's riveting. Every aspect of it is real, and because of that you end up with a truly effective and frightening movie. They come across as real kids with real-life issues, and yet clearly there's something wrong with them. It's not something on the surface that you can see, but as you get to know the teens, you empathize with them almost as much as you revile them. You almost believe, and I think the characters do too, that this "deathography" is some kind of joke, until things start to go horribly wrong as they each spiral into darkness.
This film is not without its flaws. In the beginning, there's text for the viewer to read and I wish the font had been just a bit bigger as I found myself squinting to read... maybe I just need Lasik, but I assume an older audience with vision problems won't be watching this movie anyways. Because it's all filmed on what appears to be a home video camera, it's nearly impossible to follow like a traditional movie- even though, that's partly what makes this film work. It doesn't need a lot of production value to be effective. If I had to criticize one thing it's that some of the editing choices seemed a bit off. There's this scene where one character is sitting on the steps describing some inner monologue, and you feel like you're actually going to get to know him a bit more... and the editor chooses to cut him off by repeating certain words three times, or cut to certain phrases to illustrate a point. I get it, but it takes you out of the moment, and I almost wanted to see what the kid had to say. Some of the scenes that made it into the film didn't make any sense or follow the plot, and others seemed chopped at times especially at the beginning. Possibly there's a longer cut that would help them make more sense, but I recall a scene where the kids meet with some redneck guy and the camera waits outside for no reason without any explanation or correlation later. I've watched this a few times and I still don't get it! But hey, these gripes are miniscule compared to overall gem contained within the amaray.
With that said, this is obviously no light-hearted fare. Prepare to go on an emotional rollercoaster very unlike anything you've seen before. I almost want to question why this is only on DVD as both the premise and acting in this film could rival just about anything I've seen on the big screen. I've watched this film twice since I purchased it and each time I've walked away with something different. Definitely see this movie!
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