You Are Alone

 (2005)

by Tuna

A young girl (Jessica Bohl) enters a sleazy hotel, and meets an older man that she obviously knows. She goes into a bathroom, and changes into a Catholic schoolgirl uniform. We learn that the man is her neighbor. When his wife left him, he discovered Jessica's secret day job, and booked an appointment with her. It is revealed that when she is not acting the role of fantasy schoolgirl for money, she actually is a schoolgirl.

I will go no further, as I highly recommend this film, and do not want to spoil anything for you. This DVD will be released on February 27 and Tuna says, order it now. I am not normally interested in talky films, and 95% of the film takes place in this one hotel room, but the talk was interesting in this film, the performances were spot-on, and the director stayed focused on what was important-  the two characters. The strongest element of the film, however, is the ending. Even had the film not been strong until that point, the finale would have made it worthwhile.

You Are Alone (2005) was directed by Gorman Bechard, who created that cult masterpiece Psychos in Love early in his career. He has now returned to low-budget indie filmmaking in order to regain artistic control of his own films after a personally unsatisfying experience in Hollywood on The Kiss. This is a very different film from Psychos in Love, but there are some similarities as well. Whereas Psychos was shot during weekends on 16 mm film, You Are Alone was done on a normal schedule but with few locations and a tiny cast using digital video. Bechard filmed most of the time with two cameras. The A camera was meant to carry the bulk of the film, and the second camera was meant as insurance, but was used much more intimately, and ended up providing much of the final film.

 

 

Our Grade:

If you are not familiar with our grading system, you need to read the explanation, because the grading is not linear. For example, by our definition, a C is solid and a C+ is a VERY good movie. There are very few Bs and As. Based on our descriptive system, this film is a:

C+

 A must-see for fans of indie cinema.

 

DVD INFO

* widescreen anamorphic

* director's commentary

a copy of the shooting script

* another short film

 

 

 

THE CRITICS AND ACADEMIES

The film has been well received in festival showings, winning awards for the film and the performance of Jessica Bohl in her first feature role. Bohl improvised so much dialogue so well that she actually was awarded a writing credit.

There are no major reviews online.

THE PEOPLE

   
6.2 IMDB summary (of 10)

THE BOX OFFICE

No theatrical release.

 

NUDITY REPORT

  • Jessica Bohl shows her breasts and bottom.