Four Eyed Monsters

I think this movie deserves more than 6. I wouldn't be indulgent with this two independent filmmakers because, these days, they are in good company. I would rather underline the emotional state this movie is able to communicate. You see catchy animations and other graphic sequences that make you think "Yes, we are now dealing with a new school of film-making" but at the end of the day you carry on watching it because it a has got a cosy and delicate pace. Someone find it too auto-biographical but in my opinion they have been good enough to make it look as little auto-autobiographical as possible. I managed to watch it on youtube just before they removed it but I'd still suggest to a friend. Don't expect to be amazed but enjoy a soft and quirky story-telling with a background of snow and dazzling voice-overs.

I recently saw Four Eyed Monsters at the South by Southwest Film Festival and out of the nearly 30 films I have seen at the fest I believe this to be the best.

I was amazed at how emotionally honest this film was. It was able to really get to the core of human desire and its battle with reality in a way that few other films do (I'm sure the fact that the movie is extremely autobiographical helps in this matter).

Arin Crumly and Susan Buice really need to be commended not only for their amazing job at writing an incredibly touching an honest story but for making a film that was very experimental without ever being pretentious. They mix their fictional story with real-life interviews, animation, different filming and editing techniques, and a bold and fantastic ending that could have been a disaster but instead adds a whole new layer to the movie and makes an already moving film that much more so.

Definitely the product of young minds, this piece may very well appeal to the 20s crowd, who is still trying to find their place in the world, while obsessing over every neurosis. However, I can't imagine that the heavy amount of narcissistic navel-gazing, trite humor, or banal subject matter would be particularly engaging to anyone over 30. Another problem is that the peripheral characters, whom the filmmakers obviously have nothing but contempt for, are hyped up to such absurd caricatures for comic effect, that they fail to be relatable in any real way.

However, one has to give some style points to the filmmakers, who obviously grew up in the video generation, and use every conceivable editing trick in the book in order to spruce up an otherwise non-existent plot. There are 2 points to remember here. First, beware of festival darlings. Second, even though we live in the age of youtube, not everyone's account of their mundane lives deserves big- screen treatment. But these young filmmakers have every right to make their film, and if others 20-somethings can find something in it to identify with, then all the better. Yet I could not help but think at the end of this film how this latest generation, just now coming of age, will fare in the real world that presents so many challenges and complications. In the age when every child is constantly reassured of how special they are, and that they all deserve their 15 minutes of exposure, resiliency and the ability to deal with adversity does not exactly appear to be this generation's strong point.

I managed to watch Fourteen minutes deep into this movie.

First and foremost...

I had a hard time distinguishing the ugly androgynous girl and boy.

Just because you slap a bunch of Lousy video clips together does not make it art. Probably somebody out there has no taste and will like this garbage, and for whatever reason manage to watch it longer than I have.

Taking a dump and eating a bagel was a lot more exciting than this movie.

I don't know how this movie ended up in my stack of bootlegs.

but..

IT SUCKED HARD.

I caught this film at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan. Going into the film, I really knew nothing about it, but I felt I owed it to the filmmakers to go see it, since they interviewed me, a struggling college student, the day before. Well, I'm glad I saw it.

Four Eyed Monsters, Directed (along with a lot of other things) by Arin Crumley and Susan Buice is an experimental film that works on a lot of levels. It's about a couple that meet on an internet dating service and decide to continue their relationship using only artistic mediums so they don't fall into the trap of a traditional mundane relationship. Throughout the film they communicate through notepads, emails, video letters, and other things.

Watching the film I thought a lot of it was based on their own history together (and the filmmakers confirmed this, though I don't know how much). I really enjoyed the style of the film, they tried new things and experimented with different shots and things, sometimes it didn't work but a lot of the time it did.

I won't lie, I'm a dedicated festival goer, throughout the weekend I didn't get much sleep because I watched movies all day, and Four Eyed Monsters was one of the last movies I saw, so unfortunately their were moments I struggled to stay awake (not because the film wasn't good). The ending seemed a little out of place to me, and the directors mentioned that they continue to tinker with the film throughout the festival circuit, so it would be interesting to see what previous versions of the film are like.

So, to sum it up, I'm sure people that only go to mainstream films in theatres with huge budgets and huge stars won't appreciate this film. But anyone that knows what independent films are like should check this movie out if they can. It's a helpful film for aspiring filmmakers, and I congratulate Susan and Arin for that, and I'd love to see what they're working on in the future.