Who Are You People

Was so surprised to find these complex characters in this very real dilemma. Acting was outstanding. It's a drama really firmly grounded not only by the performances but every level of direction from locations & costumes to music choices. It's nice to see human stories with no real agenda, no epic effects, just real emotion and carefully crafted story beats. There are so many unexpected moments in this film. There's real heart in every scene and so many layers to each of these characters. The exploration of the grey areas in life, the darkness most people avoid, the complexity of issues and relationships - all of it expertly told.

It's an interesting time in the movie industry with all these low budget films being knocked out one after the other. And mostly with aging film actors who had their day years ago in big box office features or hit TV shows. The problem is that they aren't very good, and they leave the viewer expecting much more than they promise. In this case with "Who Are You People" it's simply just another cliche with a predictable storyline you can guess in the first half hour. Ironically, the younger actors seem to bring more nuance and interest to the film than the older actors who come off as wooden and vapid. There's is obviously a reason why Alyssa Milano never did much more than a TV sitcom. And that doesn't help the predictable storyline in this case. I'm sure there will be some who enjoy this type of cliche, and sometimes even I enjoy them. But it's hard to do that in this case with they was it was all presented. On the other hand, it's a lot better than most of the other one star films out there...kind of like the 10 star film of the one stars.

Alex (Ema Horvath) is a rebellious disconnected 16 year old in Portland. She looks at a picture of her family and asks the title question. She has no friends at school and only one at a different school. After an inappropriate incident with her teacher, she finds a letter in her mother (Alyssa Milano)'s desk. Her father is not her biological father and she sets off to find her missing parent (Devon Sawa).

Most of the time, I complain about older actors playing teenagers. In this case, I don't mind Ema being in her late 20's. This movie is uncomfortable enough as it is. I put most of the awkwardness down to a clueless know-it-all teen lead character. It's not the fun coming-of-age film that it probably wants to be. It can't be due to the subject matter. The reveal is pretty obvious early on. At least, it's not a surprise to any alert viewer. There are a few needed changes. Mostly, it needs to darken the tone of the movie. Whether it's the music score or the few attempted jokes, this movie needs to clip those out. This is only going to work if it's dark.

This movie was almost perfect. For those who are upset that actors like Devon Sawa or Alyssa Milano have been able to demonstrate a different angle later in their careers, that seems unfortunate as it probably hindered the ability to appreciate a beautiful movie. Plot and relationships in the movie were well developed, nothing over the top, just a great watch.

Sure, we've all seen some variation of this story, much like every other movie that gets 9/10 in spite of being a spin off of any classic story ever told with better effects or bigger names. This movie has it all, excitement, tears, twists, struggle, triumph, and far from a predictable or intentionally mushy ending. Best I've seen in awhile.

I didn't know anything about this movie. I just clicked on it out of boredom. I was pleasantly surprised by how immersive it was. Nothing is pushed on the viewer so you have a lot to think about when you analyse situations and relationships. The only push I felt was something I already try to use in my life and that is the importance of trying to understand. Not condemning or condoning, but just to understand, because we are humans and we are supposed to be capable of understanding.

I can't say anything bad about any actors performance. Casting was just perfect. I have to say that I was surprised by the only actress I recognised, Alyssa Milano. I haven't seen(remember) much of her work but watching her as a host on Project Runway Allstars turned me off. Here, her acting perfectly filled the role.