Roman

Roman (Lucky McKee) is a lonely guy who becomes obsessed with a young woman (Kristen Bell). That obsession goes horribly awry, but things quickly turn around when Roman strikes up a romance with a young artist named Eva (Nectar Rose).

The movie is considered a spin-off of 2002 cult hit "May". In "May", Angela Bettis played the title role and Lucky McKee directed, roles which have been switched for Roman. It has been said to be a reversed gender version of May, which tells the story of a lonely person who has an obsession with a random stranger. To call it a spin-off seems a stretch, though, as there are no recurring characters.

What this film taught me: Saturday is chili dogs in the cemetery day. But also, Angela Bettis can make a fine film. Throwing in a "Harvey" reference for good measure, and using some amazing body part props, she constructs a good suspense horror romance. Of course, McKee wrote it, but once she has the camera it's her baby.

Surprisingly, Nectar Rose outshines Kristen Bell. I feel little sympathy for Bell, but take a great delight in Rose and her character's actions. McKee, of course, also shows he can act, and plays a perfectly creepy gentleman.

"May" surely was one of the most impressive & remarkable debuts in the horror genre ever, the short but masterful Masters of Horror episode "Sick Girl" definitely proved that they weren't just a one-hit-wonder and now, with "Roman", Angela Bettis and Lucky McKee make it clear that they're here to stay! Even though not on par with the two aforementioned titles, "Roman" is one of the most enchanting and artistically creative stories of the last few years and it's guaranteed to have at least some kind of emotional impact on you. Even though the characters drawings and atmosphere building is somewhat similar to "May", this is not a real horror film. "Roman" actually can't be categorized in just one genre, as McKee and Bettis professionally blend together sinister horror, pitch-black comedy, melodrama and psychological thriller aspects. It's a tragic & hugely ironic tale of love vs. loneliness and how they can both turn out disastrously. Lucky McKee – pretty damn good in his first real lead performance – is Roman, an unhealthy introvert metal worker with an extremely depressing life-style. He doesn't talk to any of his colleagues, always eats the same pork & beans dinner and drinks the same type of beer and dreadfully fears simple things like TV. The highlight of each day is for him to sit in front of his apartment window at 5.30pm and observe his ravishing neighbor as she goes to collect the letters in her mailbox. When he finally meets her in person (following her OWN initiative), Roman loses his mind and kills her in brief a moment of rage and despair. Realizing the crime he committed, he punishes himself by staying indoors even more and ritually disposes of the girl's body parts every Sunday. The attractive new neighbor then develops a romantic interest in him, but she has issues and obsessions that even surpass those of Roman. Quite a few people blame "Roman" for its predictable ending but, even though I agree it's unsurprising, I didn't think it affected the film in a negative way. This film almost introduces a new type of predictability! Although you know what's coming, you still somewhat hope that things will work out positively for Roman because, despite of what he did, he's a truly likable and pitiable character. Angela Bettis constantly maintains an extremely moody and harrowing atmosphere, and the film is literally stuffed with unconventional jokes and wickedly comical situations. The wholesome actually becomes a bit disturbing, because you just know people like Roman really exist! Moreover, we all know someone in our own surrounding who rarely ever talks and always keeps a distance from the rest of the group. Makes you think what he/she does when nobody's watching, doesn't it? The camera-work as well as the editing often looks ugly and amateurish, but personally I thought even this suited the tone of the film. The soundtrack is downright sublime and McKee receives great feedback from his two bewitching female co-stars Nectar Rose and Kristen Bell. Not for everyone, but highly recommended in case you have a weakness for atmosphere-driven and genuinely moving dramas.

I say it is a good compliment to Lucky Mckee's first story "May" but not even close to the quality of it. It's a decent film if your a fan of Lucky's. It seemed as if Roman was filmed before "May" and released after it. The pace is slow, but i believe this is deliberate. This story does not waste time, in a good way, with fluff. You can very quickly feel what Roman is about. If I did not already know about this story beforehand I would believe it was real. I like stories that can toe the line of real but still keep me interested which is the makings of a good movie. Now that being said, I expected better from the team of Bettis and McKee, even without an extreme budget this was a story that could have been more. I blame the editor. Movie are destroyed or saved by editing. I expected better story development. The idea was great but the translation was muffled

"Roman" takes the form of a thriller, but functions more as a surprisingly low key character study. An isolated, sad, socially awkward young man works at a factory where he has no friends, and lives alone in a depressing apartment. His only joy is watching a beautiful young neighbor he fantasizes about. In a stroke of luck he ends up on a date with her, but things go horribly, tragically wrong. Before long he has struck up a relationship with a new, free-spirited but death obsessed young artist who has moved into the building, but he remains unable to fully invest himself in the relationship, largely for fear of things going wrong again.

The film was shot on low quality video, and looks very rough, but there are times when that adds to the intimate 'reality' feel. At other times it just looks a little cheap. There's a surprising amount of humor, and Lucky McKee, who wrote the script as well as playing the lead does a good job a creating a very strange protagonist you still find yourself feeling for. Certainly this has it's fair share of flaws, and moments that don't quite come off, but it has originality and bravery on it's side, and in it's best moments it achieves a sort of David Lynch vibe. For a first feature Angela Bettis acquits herself nicely.

Jeez...apparently, Lucky McKee can do no wrong. Like an album by an indie artist buried under a pile of Top 40 junk, it is often hard to remember that the horror genre DOES have an existence outside of Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and the "Saw" franchise. But is "Roman" really a horror film? McKee himself has found the tag questionable, as his films are more about relationships than anything else. "Roman," directed by actress Angela Bettis, is a gender reversal on McKee's breakout debut, "May" (in which Bettis starred), but blossoms into yet another singularly unique entity. Roman (McKee, who also scripted) is a remote, shy welder who leads a lonely existence; his daily excitement comes from sitting in front of his apartment window as an anonymous, beautiful girl (Kristen Bell) walks by; when the duo finally hook up, it meets an unexpected end. While McKee's hangdog expression can be overdone at times, he nails the nuances of a tormented, lovelorn guy, which becomes even more complex when Eva (the beautiful Nectar Rose), a foliage-wearing artist, enters his life. The beauty of watching "Roman" unravel is this awareness of relationship mechanics--seldom does character motivation feel contrived, nor does it come off with a sanitized "Hollywood" feel (the use of DV further helps this). As with "May," McKee finds ways to make potential shock-value scenes play with a tenderness (or humor) that is even more effective. And maybe as a titular nod to Polanski, the film bears a similarity to that director's tales of paranoid and/or sexually confused apartment-dwellers trying to sustain a day-to-day existence without (literally) killing someone. "Roman" is a wonderful film, sure to be on my "Best of 2007" list (even though it came out last year).