Title: The Subject
Director: Lanie Zipoy
Starring: Jason Biggs, Aunjanue Ellis, Anabelle Acosta
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 2 hrs

What Is Is: A successful white documentary filmmaker, dealing with the fallout from his previous film which caught the murder of a black teen on tape, finds that someone is now filming his every move – threatening his idyllic life.

What We Think: The Subject has an extremely relevant and compelling premise – the murder of an innocent life propels the success and privilege of another. That is something that this film will draw you in with, and for the most part when its referenced onscreen, the movie gets too intense and enthralling heights.

Sadly, the entire first half of this picture does not make up for that intriguing thread; it actually feels like a completely different movie, until the last 40 minutes where the story truly shifts into something tangible and real. That’s not to say that the other half doesn’t feel that way. The movie is creatively shot; being that the subject matter revolves around a documentary filmmaker, the use of different cameras as we switch through varying perspectives (those of the documentary being made within the film, the documentary made in the film, and the film itself) is an ingenious way to incorporate that extra sense of realism that this movie accomplishes quite well.

When a character would walk down the streets of New York or interact with a liquor store clerk, I felt that the world was alive. There are sequences here that will make you forget (for a moment) that this is a fictional narrative. Alas, it fades away as the story progresses, but it’s one aspect I really enjoyed here. Another aspect is the performances – especially those of Jason Biggs and Aunjanue Ellis. Ellis is the embodiment of ‘saving the best for last’ here – her performance is heartbreaking and full of strength. Biggs, on the other hand, starts off as arrogant and cocky and slowly delves into fragility and cowardice as the story reaches its end. Fantastic show from both of them!

This is where I get into the screenplay and how this movie is structured – there are entire sections here devoted to pointless side romances and what I can only call ‘guest’ appearances that really drag the story down. The acting isn’t bad, not at all, but as for the purpose of those scenes… I could’ve done without them. This picture could’ve easily been 90 minutes and it might’ve thrilled me more. The 2-hour runtime here feels like it’s filling in necessary gaps that didn’t seem necessary at all, and its a shame that we get to the meat of the story in the last half – after having to sit through some mildly interesting threads.

Our Grade: B-; The Subject is at times beautifully bittersweet, suspenseful, and thrilling – it’s just that its subject matter isn’t front and center where it should be.