adamdonaghey

I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW chronicles two over-obsessed Tiffany fans, who's sole purpose in life (or one of the top three life goals, according to one fan) is to marry the burnt-out pop singer.

I saw the film several days ago and I've already heard some criticism on the Slamdance grapevine. Several fellow filmmakers seem to think the documentary does less documenting and more exploiting of these two individuals. While I agree the film doesn't necessarily portray them in a positive light, I don't think they themselves portray themselves positively either--at least in the "normal" mainstream light.

Jeff Turner, a victim of Asperger syndrome, is a likable enough guy and I'd totally hang out with him because he's a vessel of knowledge. However, most of this knowledge is dedicated to his pseudo-relationship with Tiffany. He's taken great steps and read many books in an attempt to justify his idea that Tiffany loves him as much as he "loves" her. For example, Tiffany's appearance in Playboy was apparently a silent gesture of love for Jeff.

Towards the end of the documentary, we learn that he's begun a similar fascination with Alyssa Milano. He even thinks she's gone back in time in order to prevent his relationship with Tiffany! Jeff's innocuous attitude and gentle perspective on life really persuades the viewer to fall in love. He's kooky and fascinating and I really adore him and it's the opinion of this reviewer, that he's portrayed fairly and accurately.

Kelly McCormick, however, is really where I believe all the controversy lies. A hermaphrodite, Kelly already has to deal with a great deal of persecution already. She (I say "she" because Kelly's ultimate desire is to fully become a woman) too believes she's destined to be with Tiffany, but for a very different reason. After a bicycle accident that left her in a coma, she claims she had a vision of a woman who looked just like Tiffany (even though she'd never seen the pop star, nor heard of her) surrounded by a white light and all the other normal comatose visions people claim to have. This vision has thrown her into a tailspin of mental anguish and depression every day she's not with her love. At one point she really breaks down and while I did not feel it was appropriate to laugh as some did, it did disturb me a great deal.

A documentary, in order to stay true to its form, must be unbiased and objective about its subject(s). In this case, the documentarian, Sean Donnelly (this is his first feature film), does just that. He shows these people for who they are and they're more than happy to display themselves. Whether you like them or not, or feel sorry or pity for them, the fact of the matter remains: this documentary is a) true to its form and b) interesting.

According to filmmaker Bryan Poyser, Grammy's was really just an excuse to put Joe Swanberg and Rusty Kelly together. In a SXSW interview, Poyser explains that he actually organized a benefit screening of Swanberg's Kissing on the Mouth and his own Dear Pillow, which Rusty Kelly stars in. Joe Swanberg, a Chicago based DIY filmmaker, plays a likable, straight-as-arrow dork, while Rusty Kelly plays his obnoxious, jaded younger brother. When Swanberg's character attempts to set up a fishing trip on private property, in a pathetic attempt to bond with his brother, the two find themselves in a world of trouble.

The set of events that follow get funnier and funnier the more I watch the film. There's masturbation! There's sadomasochism! There's thievery and back-stabbing! Grammy's is quite a lot of fun. But what's really neat is how it's such a fine example of what DIY'ers are doing these days. Independent filmmakers are putting each other in their films, propelling each other instead of competing against one another. This is exactly what the DIY experience is all about and what makes it so important to current indie filmmakers. So go on and enjoy the film--just don't forget your wallets on your way out. We wouldn't want you to get into any trouble.

I vaguely remember watching Badlands on television when I was a kid. I don't remember my reaction much, but I'm quite sure I wouldn't have liked it back then. Of course, anything formatted for my TV, edited and chock full of commercials isn't really worth seeing anyway. What really impressed me was Martin Sheen's brief speech before the film where he mentioned he was most proud of his work in this film, above all, including Apocalypse Now. Although, the only copy available was on DVD (Sheen wasn't too happy about this), I'm really glad I caught it on the big screen. It's really one of those films that needs to be seen, so if you haven't seen it, go rent it. After seeing the film as an adult, I suddenly found myself wondering what all the fuss was about with Natural Born Killers, for after viewing this film, you just don't need the Oliver Stone film. It's entirely unnecessary and arbitrary by comparison.