| Directed by Shane Ryan
Review by Mark Doty
I just saw another great film at Lemmle's Sunset 5, West Hollywood, California. It seems like most of the movies I've seen first at this theater have been above and beyond my expectations.
Amateur Porn Star Killer (APSK) is the story of a killer. It seems to be a warning for girls to be more cautious, but at the same time, I felt it was a statement of what has become a common affliction in big cities and even suburbia; youth on the streets at night without a care for their hearts.
In this tale of the all too real, we see a slice of time through what seems to be a home video camera. It will be the last eighty or so minutes of a young girls life.
The arty guitars and effects of Daniel A. Scott a.k.a. Daniel Hawks and an erie score of sounds from Boneshin, a touch of pain and tension foreshadow the danger to come for the victim. Side note: the music in the trailer shown on this page is yet another composer, who will remain anonymous.
I tend to think consciously about editing and music during films, but it is my nature and I don't let that reflect badly on something I'm watching.
Shane Ryan (Brandon) (the killer) (director), plays head games with the victim to release her inhibitions, to comfort her in the presence of this stranger, only to begin a series of verbally destructive tactics that seem to break down her confidence and leave her in an even more helpless psychological state. It is as if he has tied her hands before he attempts to actually restrain her physically.
Shane's performance as the character Brandon is chilling and disturbing through a channel of the camera eye that plays on personal fear and a threat of what kind of evil truly exists in our cities and on the internet.
The elements drew me in while she sat on the bed, slouched over, trying to cover her body, her beauty is natural, her acting is so constant and so invisible. She has you forgetting it’s just a film, and by the end, the pain of her death affects you on such a personal level.
And then to comfort yourself, you say, wow, was it just a film?
When it was over, we all sat in silence, the screen went to "the end" and then it went to black. We all continued to sit in silence, in respect, or just affected by the films' message.
"Don't go anywhere with a stranger."
Then, the actor/writer/director, Shane Ryan stood up and said,
"It's over."
RECENTLY PLAYED AT LEMMLE'S SUNSET 5
©2007 Mark Doty Film Reviews |
