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Title: Chronicle (2012)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dane DeHaan | ... | Andrew Detmer | |
| Alex Russell | ... | Matt Garetty | |
| Michael B. Jordan | ... | Steve Montgomery | |
| Michael Kelly | ... | Richard Detmer | |
| Ashley Hinshaw | ... | Casey Letter | |
| Bo Petersen | ... | Karen Detmer | |
| Anna Wood | ... | Monica | |
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Rudi Malcolm | ... | Wayne |
| Luke Tyler | ... | Sean | |
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Crystal-Donna Roberts | ... | Samantha (as Crystal Donna Roberts) |
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Adrian Collins | ... | Costly |
| Grant Powell | ... | Howard | |
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Armand Aucamp | ... | Austin |
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Nicole Bailey | ... | Cala |
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Lynita Crofford | ... | Casey's Mom |
The shy, lonely and outcast teenager Andrew Detmer is bullied and has no friends at high-school and lives with his abusive and alcoholic father Richard Detmer and his terminally ill mother Karen. Andrew buys a camera to film his everyday life. His cousin Matt Garetty drives him to school and invites Andrew to go to a party at night. Nearby they find a tunnel and suddenly acquire telekinetic abilities and Andrew becomes the most powerful. But he easily loses his temper and becomes dangerous while Matt tries to control him. When his mother needs a medicine and Andrew does not have enough money to buy it, his darker side overwhelms him and he becomes a menace. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Like many of you, I gleamed at the trailer and poster with a heavy amount of skepticism. "Yet another superhero-esque film" I thought, this time brought to the screen with the increasingly hawkeyed hand-held style. Is this really necessary? Well no, its not, but its a lot of fun.
The plot you can decipher from the trailer; three teenagers, Andrew, Steve and Matt find a hole in the ground and uncover something that gives them the power to move things with their minds. Then they act as any normal teenager would if suddenly given superpowers, they goof off. Things however get murky when Andrew (Dane DeHaan) begins lashing out as his broken family life becomes too much for him to bare. Actors Michael B. Jordan and Alex Russell complete the triptych as the local high school's popular kid and Andrew's too-cool-for-school cousin.
Capturing teenage angst on film has always seemed like a real struggle for Hollywood. Common knowledge dictates that if you faced the camera towards a group of well groomed twenty-somethings and relegated them to a particular clique it'll all work out. Yet "Chronicle's" script expands on that world without making it "the film". Steve is popular because he is genuinely a sociable guy not because he's some feckless ladder climber. On the flip-side of the coin, Andrew is withdrawn and anti-social because his mother is ill and his father is an alcoholic with a rage problem. These are very real issues that are glossed over or ignored in average teen movies.
But this isn't just a coming-of-age tale, its also a showcase for emerging talents, director Josh Trank and screenwriter Max Landis. While some of the camera tricks and dialogue may seem contrived at times there's no denying their boundless creativity. Trank breathes new life into the 'Blair Witch' gimmick taking "footage" from a wide array of hand-held gadgetry to create a pretty convincing collage, or dare I say chronicle.
As the three climb into the hole to investigate one of them makes a reference to Plato's allegory of the cave. Perhaps a quote from 'Alice in Wonderland' would have been more apt. Like Alice all three are young, surprisingly accepting of the situation and about to enter a world where the natural laws of physics need not apply.
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