The Sentimental Engine Slayer

Just caught this film earlier today at the Tribeca Film Festival.

This film tells the story of an adolescent (who's age is never mentioned, or so I believe) and his growing pains.

The director chose to tell the story in fragments and never going in chronological order (think Pulp Fiction or Memento), yet revealing just the perfect bits of information at the perfect moments. We are shown certain characters, such as the kid's psychiatrist, and then revealed more in-depth secrets to their relationship later on. These moments of revelation make you think differently of the entire story, but in a positive way. Also, we are shown scenes were we think this is true to the story, only to later find out they were figments of the protagonist's imagination. Sometimes these imaginary scenes leave you confused as to what is true and what is not, and that is where the story becomes blurry.

As to film technique, there is a great deal of different genres in music to go accordingly with the different aspects of film making techniques used. There are surreal moments a-la "Easy Riders" that are accompanied by a hard-rock track. And then there solemn car scenes with slow Mexican ballads. The choice of soundtrack perfectly fit the movie. The director does have a history of good music videos! The story is somewhat jangled, but it is a good one. The movie is a bit like a roller coaster with its exciting and nail-biting buildups and loops, to the calmer straightaways.

This is a definitely worth the watch, and I'm yearning to see where the director goes from here.