Running with Scissors

This was one of the most unusual movies I've seen. The characters were both freakishly bizarre and interesting to watch. In fact, the whole story was so weird that it was hard to turn away. Yet - it was great too. It was stylish, strange and fascinating.

Amazingly, the story is based on the real-life personal memoirs of author Augusten Burroughs. It takes place in the early 1970s. It covers his early childhood with his mentally unstable mother and his teen years when he is adopted by his mother's bizarre psychiatrist.

It is hard to convey just how strange the characters are. They are almost all seriously disturbed in some way. Yet in each of them, it is somehow possible to find something humanely innocent to sympathize with.

The performances of the mother, psychiatrist and his wife are superb. (The psychiatrist's dysfunctional family and living environment has to be seen to be believed.) The 1970s music is both haunting and beautiful. And as for the story - you never know what's coming next.

This is an emotionally rough story from the start, so understand that when you're picking what movie to watch next. However, this is one of the most unique and interesting character-driven dramas to come along in a while and definitely worth checking out.