Archie's Final Project

Just saw "My Suicide" at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was hidden in the "Generation" section for children's and youth-related movies. It is hard to describe the story and visual experience of this movie in just a few lines, so to spare you an extensive review, I'll just say this: "My Suicide" is one of the most powerful, most inventive and most thought-provoking movies in years, constructed in a tour-de-force of virtuoso editing (finishing this movie after principal photography took three years) that will blow the mind of any real film lover on this planet. And it is the most insightful, intelligent movie I have ever seen on the topic of teenage suicide. "My Suicide" is surely not only the best film of the entire festival, but one of the best films of this year - if somebody is daring enough to pick it up and distribute it properly. I pray for all movie freaks out there that somebody does.

Why are "teen movies" synonymous with campy, cheesecake, potty humor flicks that numb your brain into senselessness? Don't get me wrong, I loved "Porky's" as much as any hormone-drenched youth. But here, it's a real treat to see a "teen flick" with some real guts.

I hope my first paragraph didn't scare you off, because it would've scared me off if I'd been told that this film is about teen issues. Been there, done that, never wanna go back. My entire life was "The Breakfast Club" only I never got the girl :( But "Archie's Final Project" is done in such a creative, provocative way that you'll find yourself glued to the screen from the first 5 minutes.

Archie introduces the film by announcing he's going to kill himself by the end. This simple trick establishes a feeling of suspense that never lets up, even during the lighter, comedic moments. Note: do NOT miss the deleted scene on the DVD featuring the hilarious Harry Shearer (The Simpsons, Spinal Tap, etc) as the new-age healer. Perhaps they cut it because it was TOO funny.

As the title suggests, "Archie's Final Project" is his project for a high school video class. With that premise it can get away with a lot of quirky, over-stylized, A.D.D. type effects as only a teenage amateur film student could do. But in it you'll find a degree of poetry, depth and authenticity that only a teenage amateur film student could do. Stylistically, it's daring enough to do things that most directors would be afraid to try. But it's not just empty style. The themes are very deep, and (largely thanks to David Carradine playing the magnetic & enigmatic cult poet) it injects some profound philosophy in the midst of the spectacle.

Like I said, it's very authentic. This is largely due to an excellent performance by Gabriel Sunday as the loner kid whom nobody really knows about. Basically the whole film is a string of his monologues, but they never get boring. A nice touch was the way he constantly slips into doing impressions of classic films, including but not limited to: The Deer Hunter, The Matrix, Cool Hand Luke, Apocalypse Now, and half a dozen others I didn't recognize.

In all, this film makes me think of how Catcher in the Rye would've been if set in modern times with HD cameras and multimedia editing software. It's literature on the big screen. Absolutely brilliant.

My love for disturbing movies is brought up again after watching this fantastic film. Awesome graphics, raw emotion, and a realistic portrayal of human suffering is demonstrated throughout.

The actor who claimed Archie's role was both charming and relatable with his honest personality. His crush, Sierra, is the typical gorgeous blonde, but we find that she has way more to herself than her killer looks. I really liked this because it's a reminder that we truly never know a person until...well...until we get to know them.

This movie had me laughing, crying, and gaping at the screen as the fantasy-like animation and true-to-life filming switched back and forth. (Usually not in an obnoxious way, but some people might not like it.) It also does display pornography and nudity (not excessively, but perhaps enough to make someone uncomfortable) along with lots of swearing, so it may not suit everyone.

Though it was a strange and risky movie, it is definitely an awesome film. 4/5

I really enjoyed this touching, low budget indie. The film has a very unique style that I enjoyed, with the way it switches between it's daydream like animation and normal. Crazy, experimental, and inventive, but that's what makes it so interesting and special. It's different than anything I have seen and I found the visuals to be captivating. Maybe slightly dated, but that didn't detract at all for me. If anything, it gave me an early 2000's nostalgic feel.

It was surprisingly intelligent and insightful. Lots of tonal shifts, but it covers the whole emotional spectrum seamlessly. Heartwarming and heartwrenching at the same time and a sharp, witty sense of humor that captures the heart of the character and teenage angst well. It leaves you with lots of food for thought. It has some intriguing philosophy that leaves you with some fantastic quotes and monologues about its deep themes. It's relatable, though not meant in an edgy way. It brings up for discussion some of the darker thoughts that creep into everyone's mind sometimes.

Archies' character felt tangible, and there were well done portrayals of human anguish all around. I also really liked the movie's soundtrack. Although I realize this movie isn't perfect and I could understand if some thought it was flawed or cliched, for now it holds a sweet spot with me.

8.8/10

Thank you, Netflix, for introducing me to this little gem. Archie's Final Project (or, listed on Netflix by its original title, "My Suicide") caught my eye due to its themes of teen suicide and school controversies; I was the subject of a similar school controversy myself at 12-years-old that resulted in my expulsion and attempted suicide before such things were really discussed and explored in depth. Thus, anything that features these important themes attracts me like a fly to light.

Gabriel Sunday plays Archie Williams, a 17-year-old media geek who announces to his media class that his final project will be to film his suicide. He also seems to believe his entire life is a movie--as another review said, this is another interesting take on the Truman Show delusion that serves its own twists and turns. Thus begins one of the most unique and interesting movies I've ever seen. My Suicide is filmed almost like a documentary, as if we are, in fact, watching Archie's final project after his planned suicide. Interwoven between scenes of the aftermath of Archie's suicide film announcement are montages of colorful teenage visual ramblings, further character development of Archie and his troubled crush Sierra, and bursts of dark comedy. Sunday is absolutely mesmerizing to watch as Archie; he was just 19 when he played the role, and he plays it so believably. Undeniably charming, troubled, awkward, odd, yet fantastically skilled at playing both sides of the line between comedy and tragedy, Sunday is nothing short of amazing, and his few film/TV credits since this are baffling to me. Why in the world isn't this man in more stuff?

A total surprise to me was Sierra's inclusion in the story (played by Brooke Nevin). At first, I thought she would distract the film from its suicidal/teen angst themes and instead focus it on teenage romance. While there is an undeniable romantic connection between Archie and Sierra, it is realistically grounded in tragedy, a skewed immature teen vision of love (shown perfectly in a surprisingly intimate mutual cutting scene), and a shared troubled mental state. My Suicide is at times hard to watch because you are watching confused teens make bad decisions or simply refuse to take important decisions seriously with lax attitudes at the risk of fatal consequences; yet, because of that, it is utterly realistic and devastating. This movie made me both laugh out loud and dread the eventual ending as I feared these characters would make the ultimate decision. Without spoilers, I can say that at least one teenager in the movie commits suicide; while the act itself isn't shown, the aftermath is (including the body) and it's soul-wrenching. It's a depressingly beautiful scene that wallows in its finality and shocking morbidity; as someone who has attempted suicide, I appreciated the way this scene was handled.

My Suicide appears to have been quite the indie darling upon its release in 2009, evidenced by its many awards at multiple film festivals. It deserves them all, though they clearly didn't give the film the exposure it truly deserves. At times delightfully comedic and at other times oppressively tragic, My Suicide starts out like a teenager's school project and seems to mature along with its protagonist as the seconds go by and the darker themes crawl over each scene like an oppressive fog. Every second of its journey is interesting and hit me close to the heart.