.ask

Don't trust this review, watch the movie for yourself.

I made this microbudget fake doc horror movie for almost no money, and its creation was pretty crazy. I shot the whole thing with no script, just a beat sheet with about 50 bullet points on it. I never shot a third take of anything, and over half the scenes were done in only one take.

I reverse engineered the story around some crazy real-life events happening to me, like my car getting stolen and taken on a joyride, as well as me getting my front six teeth replaced. There's a scene where a man is being arrested in the background behind us in a parking lot; that was actually happening for real, so I wrote it into the movie.

Every scene takes place in a real location, all of which I did not get permission to shoot in. A couple of the locations were during actual live events, and no one had any idea I was secretly shooting a movie.

The budget for the film was about $300, and most of that was film festival entry fees. The actual money I spent specifically on the making of the film was around $20, everything else was "found value". I made the movie to show how a lack of resources doesn't have to stop a filmmaker from making something entertaining that shows their skills as a storyteller.

I hope you enjoy the movie. If you don't, I still appreciate you watching it.

Ok so as someone who has seen every found footage film out there I have to say-I was impressed by this one. Yes-the budget is nil, it's basically one character, but it hooks you and brings you a long for the ride. Chris is a great actor (is it acting when you're playing yourself basically?) and he takes an age old concept (be careful what you wish for) and creates a BELIEVABLE story on maybe a 5k budget?! The premise is a down and out YouTuber desperately trying to break into influencing. When he meets a mysterious guy at an influencing conference, things begin to look up for him....and then down. That's impressive. Talented guy-can't wait to see what he'll do next.

Chris VanderKaay's ".ask" comes off as a DIY-left fielder skewering You-Tubers running motivational scams and hustles with a less-than-zero budget, complete with lo-fi effects. It makes the realization all the more jarring as you slowly discover that ".ask" has a much deeper, almost existential layer and that VanderKaay is not only a very talented writer and director, but a believable, quite nimble actor as well.

VanderKaay's character's hook is to tell his viewers/subscribers to keep "putting yourself out there," exhorting authenticity while actually giving away none of his own secrets, faults, or foibles, and he's failing miserably. Until, of course, he crosses paths with another YT Life Coach who's... well... more than a little sinister.

It's hard to even begin to describe the oddities (and complexities) of what happens next. It's not only absorbing, it really makes you think and ask questions about your own behavior and motivations. That's a tall order for any film.

For VanderKaay to succeed to that level of significance with a 90-minute found footage horror is remarkable. Imagine the bounty if more people did this. We should be so lucky.

The movie was engaging and kept my attention throughout. This is a rarity with today's films. The lead actor does a very good and believable job which is also a rarity with found footage films. After watching the film, I discovered that the main actor was also the writer and director and that it was his first "major" film project. I think he did an outstanding job and I am looking forward to more from this director/writer/actor. I know I only rated this a 5/10 but please understand that most of the movies I watch would rate 1-2 out of 10 so a 5 is very good score. I just can't rate it close to a 10 like I would Citizen Kane or the Godfather 2. I know IMDBs rating system leaves a lot to be desired, but trust me, if you're a found footage fan, then give .ask a shot. You'll be happy you did.

I was lucky enough to come into contact with the writer and main star of this movie, Chris Vander Kaay and was given a screener for this movie and the following is my honest opinion: This movie is completely unique to any found footage movie you've ever seen before. It takes the old trope of Be Careful What You Wish For, modernizes it, and flips it on its head in the best ways. I HIGHLY recommend it for any diehard found footage fan. The acting was very good, A huge twist that honestly made me go "hold tf on now" and I will absolutely be telling friends to check it out and plan on rewatching it very very soon.