Armless

Armless is a story of a man, who, not happy with his life leaves his wife and goes to New York. Why you may ask? We find he is going to New Yok to attempt to saw off his arms, John uses a alias as " Hazard"; watch out for the numerous Dukes of Hazard bad puns.

We see John in a hardware store, buying the saw; then looking up a doctor, whom he believed is the one who does odd surgeries. It is not the same one. The whole third act is John, locked himself in the broom closet; with the saw as the doctor is trying to tell him not to do it. We hope for something "exciting" at the end, but like the whole movie, nothing shows up.

In all, this project goes nowhere.

I picked this up on DVD as I saw it was part of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival as well as a winner at the Toronto Independent Film Festival.

A quirky, off-beat dark comedy with great dialog that explores the bizarre side of the human condition and its unique flaws however weird they may be sometimes. I felt the impact of the lines exactly the way they intended. The comedy is understated, slow, and deliberate leaving more in the blank space than spoken.

The condition shown in the film is a very real and very rare disorder called Body Integrity Identity Disorder. A phenomenon of people who desire amputation of healthy limbs or who desire paralysis. "Quid Pro Quo' (2008) is another less based in reality movie about DIIBs. The struggles shown in "Armless" are some of the same struggles that people with the disorder may experience.

I think independent films can serve a very similar role as comic books. They allow writers and directors to try things and explore topics in weird subcultures that would never appear in the mainstream. Every once in a while a story will break from indie to mainstream if it strikes a chord.

To enjoy this you need to be into independent films and the more unusual topics. I wouldn't recommend this to basically anyone I know, although if I did I must think you are weird and cool and would be able to appreciate what most couldn't.

You don't have to also want to cut off your arms to enjoy.

Sometimes at Sundance you hit the occasional film that is truly horrid. Armless is one of those rare awful films that sneak into Sundance from time to time.

From a dull and lackluster plot to boring characters, "Armless" did not deliver on any front at all. The screenplay is poorly written, disjoint and lacking a story that keeps the audience interested. As a comedy it fails at making the audience laugh or even smile.

John and his desire to cut off his arms earned a few laughs early on in the show, but as the film went on, the audience tired of the character and his repetitive lines as well as those of his wife. By the end all in the theater were just glad it was over.

I had the misfortune of viewing this film at Sundance 2010 and as we exited the theater the comments from the movie goers were almost a universal, "what a waste of time". My advice if you see "Armless" being shown is to run the other way.

I can understand how this movie may not be for everyone. It's dark and quiet with comedy more in the silence than the dialogue. It has a very personal and secretive tone, and I would recommend watching it alone rather than in a group. Odd, soft-spoken, and questionably allegorical, the best way to enjoy this movie is to connect personally with the characters and try to understand their positions. You don't have to want to cut off your arms to understand John, you just have to know what it's like to want something desperately, feel outcast and misunderstood, or to be so comfortable in your own security that it makes you want to break free. It shows, from both sides, lies we tell ourselves and others in order to fit in. This movie is tragic in its humanity, hilarious in its tragedy, and ultimately true. Good actors, interesting plot, and it gives viewers something to think about. It's definitely worth watching on the off chance it will be for you.

The condition portrayed in the movie is a real one and a rare one - BIID - Body Integrity Identity Disorder - a disorder in which otherwise healthy individuals feel that they are meant to be disabled, each in a very specific way.

The main character's difficulties in dealing with this deep desire and disclosing this to his wife are difficulties that real people with BIID also face. I haven't seen many movies with a BIID theme, but compared to "Quid Pro Quo" which may be a more entertaining movie, this movie is more true to the reality of BIID.

For me it was definitely a drama, not a comedy - that's not to say there is no humor. Feeling that the true you is arm-less and not achieving this arm-less state means continuing to live a lie and trying to work through this without devastating those close to you is the stuff of drama, not comedy.

Despite the good acting and important content, I can see how this is not a movie for everyone. If you have an interest in BIID, I would definitely recommend it.