I liked director Richard Stanley's HARDWARE and I really liked DUST DEVIL so when I saw this "concept" film by the director on DVD, I forked over the money and crossed my fingers. Brave is a film that revolves around it's musical score which is a full length album by a British band called Marillion. Now, I'm not a fan of their music. Aside from some nice ambient moments I can barely stand the tunes but I wasn't going to let this stand in the way of my enjoyment of the film. I figured Stanley would amaze me given the creative control one assumes comes with making a "concept film". Expecting the surreal, bizarre and abstract, I was instead given a repetitive, boring and clichéd 50 minute music video. The story concerns a young woman who has lost her memory and is being hypnotized, remembering various (mostly painful) moments of her life that have led he to a bridge, possibly to kill herself. Sounds promising but everything is so dull and predictable. The effects look cheap and the imagery lacks the punch I was hoping for. Worst of all, Stanley cuts to footage of the band "rocking out" or close ups of the singer being a poser and singing into the camera throughout the film. There's a lot of emotion in the songs, performances and story, but it all falls flat for me. Fans of Marillion might be forgiving but those watching this hoping for a dose of Richard Stanley will likely be disappointed. Three stars out of ten for the honest attempt and the odd moment that works.
