Customer Reviews

You Are Alone

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a tiny independent film. It is a talky. There is little action, minimal nudity and no sex. But it grabs your attention and holds you spellbound from beginning to end.

Daphne is a Yale-bound, high-school girl turning tricks, not so much for the cash, but for the company. Buddy is the middle-aged next-door neighbour who catches her at it and blackmails her into entertaining him instead. His motives however are slightly less sleazy than that. They are both lost and lonely souls trying to find someone to connect with. When he calls her over, he immediately hands her a suitcase full of cash but insists that he doesn't want to have sex with her. They just talk and that is pretty much all that happens throughout. The film is very well written and very well acted. Jessica Bohl deservedly won the Best Actress awards at several Indie festivals for this film. In fact, she ad-libbed so many of her lines and did it so naturally that director Gorman Bechard ended up giving her co-writing credit. Bit by bit, we learn why she turns tricks and why he's so lonely and depressed. We also get to hear about all the kinky things her clients ask her to do - like the priest who pays $500 for a golden shower, or Mr Chang who pays to "dine at the Y" and "toss her salad" and likens her taste to that of sweet-and-sour chicken. The dialogue gets bawdy and quite hilarious at times but as we learn from the commentary, most of the funniest lines were deleted because they made the film overly funny. And the director's aim was far from that. The resultant film is restrained, sombre, and ultimately very sad. The director uses the word depressing quite a few times, especially in his commentary over the deleted scenes. Personally I don't feel it is depressing. But I do agree with him that the film works best this way, shorn of its ribald humour. It is indeed a beautifully sad film about how painful, loneliness can be, and the lengths people will go to find relief. Fortunately, all those deleted scenes are preserved on this DVD.

The film was shot using just 2 Panasonic mini-DV cameras (AG-DVX100A) so don't expect brilliant picture quality. The transfer looks very good considering its source. It's presented in 1.78:1 widescreen (anamorphic). There is some lovely cinematography here, including some that ended up on the cutting room floor. However much I disliked the occasional shaky camerawork, Bechard explains on the commentary why he wanted them that way and what he wanted to convey by them. Colours are sombre and muted but accurate. Black levels are about what you'd expect of a mini-DV movie. Amazingly no colour-correction was done due to budget constraints. So what you see onscreen is the direct output of the mini-DV camera. Sound is in 2.0 Dolby Surround. Dialogue is always clear and the various music tracks are well presented. There are 16 music tracks in all, many previously unreleased, from the likes of Tywanna Jo Baskette, Matt Ryan and Crooked Fingers. No subtitles are provided.

There is an engaging and very informative full-length audio commentary from director Gorman Bechard. There are 13 minutes worth of deleted scenes with and without commentary which are definitely worth watching. My favourites were the mother's comic-relief sequences which were all deleted, especially her delivery of those 3 classic questions "that parents should never ask their daughters". There are two theatrical trailers and the music video of Strays Don't Sleep's "Cars and History". Another lovely track is Tywanna's "The Girl You Hate". Also included on the DVD is Bechard's earlier short film, "The Pretty Girl". However for some strange reason, this 6-minute film is not in standard DVD format but in Apple-Quicktime and AVI format so that it's only playable on a Mac or PC. The complete shooting script is also included in Adobe PDF format. A very cute inclusion was Jessica Bohl's resume (in PDF format), detailing her acting, sporting and school qualifications, including her GPA, her typing speed and her knowledge of computers, as well as the fact that she is knowledgeable in Swedish and Spanish and studied at both Wesleyan and Stockholm Universities, graduating with a B.A. in 2002. Sorry guys, no phone number.

PS. With her blonde hair dyed brown, Jessica Bohl bears more than a passing resemblance to the young Katie Holmes.

You Are Alone is a beautiful, almost delicate film, smart directed, crisply written, with two complex and riveting performances, and a twist of an ending that no one will see coming, but will make you want to see the film a second time to go back and catch up on all the clues you misread.

The story, about a highschool girl who drowns her depression and awkwardness by working a few hours a week as a $500 an hour "schoolgirl" escort, and the depressed next-door neighbor who discovers her secret and hires her for an afternoon call in a downtown New Haven hotel, features breathtaking performances from both Jessica Bohl, as the girl, and Richard Brundage, as her neighbor.

Bohl as Daphne gives a breakthrough performance on par with Maggie Gyllenhaal in Secretary. She so captures a teenager's angst of growing into her own skin, and when she talks about always being in control, you start to realize she's not in control at all, but in danger of going over the deep end, which I guess in a way she does.

Brundage as Buddy is depressed, angry, heartbroken, a shell of a man. But it isn't until the film's startling conclusion that you grasp a full comprehension of his pain.

After a very brief opening segment, which will hook most independent film lovers, and have the religious right running towards the exits, we are brought into the hotel room. At first you're not sure about these people, or the film-making style. Shaky, annoying...like the characters. Until you realize their back story, told in short flashbacks. They're confrontational at first for a reason, and so is the camera. But as they open up, as the story settles down, likewise, so does the camera. And, I don't know, 20 minutes in, give or take, you find yourself unable to take your eyes away from the screen.

I first saw the film at its world premiere screening at the Brooklyn Film Fest -- where the director asked the audience if anyone expected the ending and not one person answered yes - I so wished back then the film were already on video so I could watch it again. Because thinking back now on some of the conversations in the film, particularly a very candid dialog regarding fantasy and climax, I really thought things were going in a very different direction. But I realize now so much of their conversation meant something completely different than what I imagined. I need to see it again!!! But as dark and sexual as much of the talk is, blunt to say the least, I found myself laughing more than I might have expected at some of its candor, which definitely falls into the "things we think, but lack the nerve to say out loud" category. It's very blunt, especially when you realize so much of it has a completely different meaning. Some of it will make you uncomfortable, especially if you're watching You Are Alone with a partner. You'll definitely have something to talk about - perhaps argue about - afterwards. Perhaps it should come with a warning: You SHOULD be alone when watching!

Also the music is amazing. I would be ordering the soundtrack if I could have. The film looks as good as anything shot on film. After the screening director Gorman Bechard was asked what sort of process he used to get the digital footage to look so good. His answer: none. They couldn't afford it.

I have to give Bechard credit. I am a big fan of his two shorts, The Pretty Girl and Objects in the Mirror, and his five novels, but even they could not have prepared me for the complexities and surprises of this film. (Well, okay UNWOUND is damn close.)

To everyone involved: bravo.

P.S. Can't wait for the director's commentary!!!

I had actually considered investing in this movie when Gorman was out
drumming up funding. I loved most of the script but did not like the
ending. Gorman insisted the ending was as it had to be.

Seeing the completed movie I have to say I am amazed. Reading the
script I had not imagined the acting (and Gorman's directing) would be
as powerful and moving as it is here. The two leads did an amazing job.
They were very believable and this movie is well worth watching just
for the performances of these two amazing stars.

Now, for the spoiler and if you have not seen the movie please don't
read further as you need to see the movie first. (I actually wish I had
never read the script just so I could have experienced the movie ending
first hand.)

WARNING: This is not a movie for young teenage girls as it makes prostitution look attractive.

----------------------------- SPOILER

I have two main problems with the movie. First off, and I'm sure I
mentioned this when I read the script, the wife should have died. If
she were dead the ending would be much more believable. As it is, we
have this guy who has been agonizing over a woman who left him 'years
ago.' If she left him and he is still in love after so long he'd have
to be seriously delusional. But he doesn't come across that way in the
movie. (There is also the problem of why he did not expend all this
energy going after the wife he still loves.)

Plus, if the wife were dead we would actually be able to believe that
they had a fulfilling, reciprocating love, and therefore believe that
the guy is devastated enough for the ending to be reasonable.

However, I don't buy Daphne doing what she does in the ending. I'd need
a heck of a lot of convincing to believe that this naive girl (very
naive for a whore but believable due to Bohl's performance) did what
she did. The character is simply not cold enough. And if she did this
out of some kind of love, or something else, then there is a whole
piece of the movie/story missing.

Much of this movie is reminiscent of "Sex, Lies, and Video Tape." I
think it could have been as popular if Gorman had chosen to give the
movie a more believable ending.

So watch the movie, enjoy the performance. And make up your own mind.

An amazingly depressing movie. I would rather wind duct tape around my head and pull it off slowly than to watch this movie again. I'm consigning it to recycle. If you like to watch self-absorbed people making agonizing choices in a virtually plotless film, this is the movie for you.

Jessica Bohl makes it all happen. This is a dark film. But one that you will not feel that you wasted your time. My advice is to watch it.

Fascinating, moving & thought provoking. The most powerful movie I've seen since Breaking the Waves. I can't say more without fear of giving too much away. Definately one to see!!!!!!

I first came across this film via the video for the song "Cars & History" by Strays Don't Sleep. Gorman Bechard provided a 4-minute edit of YOU ARE ALONE for the band to use. Nothing more than a tease of visual images, but I was so intrigued by these images and characters. I didn't know what to expect from the film, especially from a 2-minute trailer or a 4-minute music video.

This is quite a slow-moving film, but the dialogue and characters are captivating. Most of the film takes place in a hotel room. I had my doubts about the restricted setting, but every movement, every look, every word seems to be amplified within the single setting. The dialogue seems to have much more impact and significance.

Daphne/Britney is a high-school student, driven by depression, working as an escort. She meets with her next-door neighbour Buddy. At first, his motives are suspect, but as the film progresses, the awkwardness subsides. This film can be easily miss-read, but it is not what you think it is. Their exchange of dialogue blossoms, and what is then revealed is that both characters are very lonely and depressed for very different reasons. They connect with each other, and you realise there is much more to these characters than first imagined.

This film is a dark, restrained, but beautifully depicts loneliness. These characters are very complex. What impresses most is the idea is so simple but thoroughly thought through. The conclusion of the film is not one that you would expect, but the journey to the end is a wonderful experience between two lost souls.

Striking, intelligent micro budget film about loneliness, as captured
during an afternoon encounter between a Yale bound high school senior
who's a prostitute in her spare time, and an older, depressed neighbor.

Both the film and the two generally excellent lead performances (by
unknowns Jessica Bohl and Richard Brundage) do get stagy at times. The
film takes place largely in one room. And I wish I didn't see the twist
ending coming. In fact, I sort of wish it wasn't there at all. While
it almost works, I didn't think the film needed it, and it felt tacked
on, as if from another, more conventionally 'dramatic' film.

The film is at it's best when it's dealing in simple emotional honesty,
and the complexity of these characters lives. That's where this film
shines - in avoiding the clichés we've come to expect in two characters
like this. She may be living a dark existence, but she's getting
something from it too. He's a man who can't let himself even indulge in
fantasy, and it's part of why he's so blocked as a human being.

For a film that's all about sex and sexuality, it's surprisingly
chaste, while still having uncomfortable erotic overtones and questions
- both for the characters and the audience. Are we sick for having
moments when this young girl turns us on? Is she sick for enjoying that
power?

I also appreciated that the dialogue is often elliptical, and that
silence is as important as words.

Not quite a great film, but an impressive effort to do something
original.

Contradictorily to the advertising of this film, it is not about sex. This film is about the psychology behind people's motives when trying to escape loneliness. There's not much sex in the film, as it is more about the conversation the main character Daphne has with her neighbor. This film is beautifully filmed, with camera movements that seem to mirror the character's roller coaster of emotions and a completely unpredictable ending. If you are interested in an insight as to why people do what they do to escape certain pain, then this film is for you. This movie does have some nude scenes and explicit language (more about sexual acts than cursing) but nothing too risque. With a very sensitive subject, Director Gorman Bechard does a fantastic job of portraying two characters who will do almost anything to escape their situations. This film deserves every award it has won, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone who is interested.

I heard about "you are alone" from some friends on mine who saw it at a couple of film festivals..."there's just something about the movie, that you just don't stop thinking about it" they would say...so intrigued i was hoping and waiting for it to be released on DVD. Well let me say they were right. Theres this amazing sexy dark tone to the whole film. The director did a great job with the pace of the film, and just how to tell a story like this. I was more than impressed when i finally got to watch it. this is a great film.