Motion Picture

A young man decides to make a film about his life, leading to awkward situations and confrontations.

Evan obtains the help of his brother Ian in order to follow him around with a camera and film him doing various things, the objective being that they will end up with a feature film about the life of Evan.They begin by filming each other as they talk about themselves and this and that. Things get complicated when Evan has the idea to film scenes that re-enact significant events from his childhood, as this involves hiring an actor, which leads to problems.

This dark comedy drama was filmed like a documentary and the majority of the action takes place inside the house where the siblings live. They are shown having conversations and engaging in activities such as cycling and playing the guitar. The biggest challenge for them is creating the re-enactment scenes, as they are having a hard time finding an actor and Evan often expresses his dissatisfaction about that. They have acquired the required equipment for the filming, including a clapperboard, turning their home into a studio. They often talk about what they are going to do next and how they plan to do it. There is profanity, dark humour, toilet humour and eventually a series of events turns the story into a thriller.

The movie was shot in black-and-white, with brief scenes that were done utilizing colour. The editing was done by Evan Snyder and he creates well-constructed montage sequences and makes interesting use of the split screen technique. Quite a few times, when an editing cut occurs, it involves a 'beep' sound accompanied by a flash of red, which is quite creative. There are many long takes, sometimes the camera is handheld and sometimes it is stationary and at times the camerawork appears a bit clumsy.

Evan leads the story well as an individual who is obsessed with finishing a movie that is about him. He has a short temper and is willing to get even with people who he believes have wronged him. Ian is easy-going and follows his brother's plans.

The amusing soundtrack includes tracks by various artists including Kevin MacLeod, Bryan Teoh and Alexander Nakarada.

This feature is a decent achievement with an intriguing plot. The humour may not appeal to everyone, however the characters are interesting, the dialogue is well-written and the audience will most likely want to follow the two brothers as they attempt to carry out their plans.