Certainly one of the more interesting and unique found footage type movies I've seen in a while. It approaches the plot of a low-level criminal named Curtis stealing a video camera and documenting his life in a more serious fashion than expected. Not that I thought this would be a comedy, but I guess I wasn't prepared for it to get as heavy and insightful as it does (and I mean that in a good way).
It provides an insight into why people commit crimes (early on, Curtis mentions it being about paying for very ordinary things like rent and providing for his infant child), and also depicts how the cycle of drug dealing and crime can continue through generations in the film's best scene, where he prepares drugs for sale whilst talking about how his family did it when he was a kid, and observes his own child running around as he prepares drugs and states that he himself remembered doing that as a kid.
The authenticity and commitment to the found footage style is admirable. In its attempts to replicate true life, it doesn't exactly have the most satisfying narrative, as hey, I guess life doesn't always follow a 3-act structure. The dialogue is also sometimes not audible, features a lot of slang, and frequently people talk over each other. Again, true to life, but not always easy to understand as a viewer.
You can also nitpick things like "did they steal the camera charger? If not, why hadn't the battery run out?" and "why is everyone cool with documenting video evidence of being involved in certain crimes?" but I guess a suspension of disbelief is required for almost all found footage movies, even otherwise very authentic ones like this.
If you treat this film as a bit of an experiment as well as a look into how and why crimes of this nature happen, then it succeeds. If you come into it wanting pure entertainment and thrills, and/or a super satisfying story, you may be disappointed. If you can get on board with the former, I'd certainly recommend it, and though it wasn't the easiest watch, I'm glad I experienced it.
It provides an insight into why people commit crimes (early on, Curtis mentions it being about paying for very ordinary things like rent and providing for his infant child), and also depicts how the cycle of drug dealing and crime can continue through generations in the film's best scene, where he prepares drugs for sale whilst talking about how his family did it when he was a kid, and observes his own child running around as he prepares drugs and states that he himself remembered doing that as a kid.
The authenticity and commitment to the found footage style is admirable. In its attempts to replicate true life, it doesn't exactly have the most satisfying narrative, as hey, I guess life doesn't always follow a 3-act structure. The dialogue is also sometimes not audible, features a lot of slang, and frequently people talk over each other. Again, true to life, but not always easy to understand as a viewer.
You can also nitpick things like "did they steal the camera charger? If not, why hadn't the battery run out?" and "why is everyone cool with documenting video evidence of being involved in certain crimes?" but I guess a suspension of disbelief is required for almost all found footage movies, even otherwise very authentic ones like this.
If you treat this film as a bit of an experiment as well as a look into how and why crimes of this nature happen, then it succeeds. If you come into it wanting pure entertainment and thrills, and/or a super satisfying story, you may be disappointed. If you can get on board with the former, I'd certainly recommend it, and though it wasn't the easiest watch, I'm glad I experienced it.