I Blame Society – A Bold Indie Comedy (Early Review)

I Blame Society saw a filmmaker named Gillian (Horvat) decide that she needed to document and film the creative process behind a film about becoming a serial killer. She gets the idea from two of her friends who said that “she’d make a good murderer”. We don’t get to see why they say this about her, but it all makes sense about half-way through the film. What’s so intriguing is Gillian is 120 per cent committed to this project, even though she is challenged by her boyfriend who doesn’t have a lot of faith in her ability. This part of her struggle is a little sad. Part of the reason Gillian is doing this is that she feels the need to prove herself. And when the approval she is hoping for is not forthcoming, Gillian becomes even more obsessed with making her film.

When Gillian realises that nobody wants to support her film, she pushes herself to the edge and in doing so, begins to lose herself in the creative process. While Gillian is still present and her commentary continues throughout the film, the events that unfold confirm that Gillian has given herself the approval to cross whatever lines she sees fit for the sake of her craft. And her moralistic values cease to exist as a result. It’s “life imitating art” in the darkest way possible.

I Blame Society easily has to be one of the most intriguing and shocking experiences in recent memory. Its premise is as crazy as it is brilliant. In many ways, the film pokes fun at the general filmmaking process but at the same time, praises it while truly twisting it on its head. However, viewers are sure to react to all of this much differently; this fact is almost inevitable. Sometimes when boundaries of self-expression are pushed, people don’t like that uncomfortable feeling of seeing something that challenges them to start questioning things. This film is sure to elicit those kinds of feelings due to its subject matter.

I Blame Society is co-written and co-directed by Horvath and co-star Williamson as Chase, who is simply incredible as Gillian. The film is set up in such a way that pulls viewers further inside Gillian’s psyche in nearly every scene, but at the same time, it feels like they are merely outsiders looking in. However, the film also feature several scenes that somewhat slow down the film’s pacing and make it feel like a found footage film featuring shaky camera work and disorientating camera angles.

At the end of the day, I Blame Society is troubling, unsettling, and will be way too dark to enjoy for some. But it will definitely still find an audience to praise it for its ingenuity and boldness.

still courtesy of Cranked Up Films

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