• 

  Manisha Lakhe

  Read full review Hide full review

  

  0

  

  0

A shy teenager uses a video camera as a shield against his abusive father, neighborhood bullies and the rest of the school. His one friend is his older cousin who reminds him that he is never going to get a girl as long as he is stuck to the camera. The third teenager in the movie is the popular boy at school, who has his own set of problems. The three boys and their friendship, their values of li …

A shy teenager uses a video camera as a shield against his abusive father, neighborhood bullies and the rest of the school. His one friend is his older cousin who reminds him that he is never going to get a girl as long as he is stuck to the camera. The third teenager in the movie is the popular boy at school, who has his own set of problems. The three boys and their friendship, their values of life are tested when they make a freak discovery.



Now it’s a trick that directors have used before and very successfully too. But this director manages to take the story way ahead of the others. (It is written by Max Landis, son of John Landis, the man who wrote The Blues Brothers.) I mention Blues Brothers especially and John Landis, because it seems to be the house style when you have characters speak directly to the camera.

The use of video cameras and footage from phones and cctv cameras has been used wonderfully in The Blair Witch Project and The Paranormal Activity movies, as I said. But here, the premise of the movie itself allows the camera to be floating above and around the characters.



This movie is a classic example of using unknown actors and making the story keep you glued to the screen. The premise is simple, but the execution is brilliant in the first two thirds of the movie. The director manages to stick to the omnipresent video camera idea and takes it to heights unseen until now. (you’ll appreciate the humor of this sentence after you have seen the movie!)

It is only the last scene where the good battles the evil (yes, yes, everyone and their uncle knows that it’s a superhero/sci-fi movie) that the spectacle becomes too unbelievable, too Hindi film like (Telegu actually, the scene being straight out of Magadheera). Yes, the fight between good and evil in any movie is prolonged and there is damage to glass covered buildings and vehicles will fly through the air, but I wish the ending weren’t so over the top dramatic.



That being said, you must see this movie for the brilliance of the idea. The technique of the intrusive video camera is used so well, you enjoy the manipulation. Just when you think that the young shy boy is going to become the hero, he chooses path...

Shall not say more. See this film.