FilmSnobReviews

Title: I’ll Be Around
MPAA Rating: Not Rated 
Director: Mike Cuenca
Starring: Sofia Grace, Sarah Lawrence, Brendan Takash
Runtime: 2 hr 3 mins

What It Is: During a post-punk music festival dozens of young adults who are all seemingly at different stages in their own mental breakdown, all struggle with figuring out what ails them and how to fix it. As the festival unravels the characters become more intertwined in each other’s lives and they help each other understand what it means to be yourself and how to find meaning in a world where it feels like you don’t exist.

What We Think: I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this film. I commend all those involved with successfully executing a project that must have caused some serious headaches from pre-production to post, but this film falls short of something I’d recommend to anyone. There are so many (aka too many) characters and by the end of it, I hardly knew two of their names. This film is like if someone tried to feed a family of six with one loaf of bread; there’s simply not enough to go around to satisfy everyone. There were too many characters for me to invest in and while some were more interesting than others, they weren’t fleshed out enough or given enough screen time for me to feel satisfied. That said, one would assume there would be too many plot lines and too much going on in the film…well, no. If the above ‘What It Is” sections read a bit dull to you, it’s because the plot is virtually nonexistent. I could’ve just written that this film is about people who have lived a third of their life and are angsty about it and that would’ve been a fine plot description. While there’s plenty to be underwhelmed by, the film does have good pacing, flashes of decent humor and it pokes fun at itself at the right times. Overall, the film knows what it is and isn’t worried about trying to overly impress the viewer, who, no matter what would never proclaim this as their favorite film.

Our Grade: D+, This movie is strange and the quality of just about everything hovers around average. A lot of changes could’ve been made, and arguably should’ve been, to make a more appealing film. If nothing else, the film’s dedication to all the dreamers, wanderers, and hopefuls is nice. But if you’re ever in a situation where you could watch this film, you might just want to wander away.