Blame (2018)

just watch it!

Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

A lot of fun.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Weaving a tale, putting together a story, whatever the terminology or medium, this is an apotheosis of a nice blender drink mixed with a lot of pulp juicy fruits and veggies and all that good stuff that make for a nice blend of fun characters. I just loved how it did not try to force anything down our throats, when it chilled back it was fun, when it pumped it up it was neat, when drama hit the page it was intriguing, and the climacteric was very very interesting all interlarded with super-stylistic witty repartee and an incredible ending that pulsed deeply rooted to its super universal thematic undercurrent. But what I really loved the most is how I expected at some point to go over the top with the style but no, the writing stayed true to the characters, no one got too witty or one idiot suddenly became Einstein, no, it just kept true but incredibly ingenious and all together a fun ride, I would say this is a seminal piece of work that needs to be studied, especially when we delve into teen characters there seems to be some lamo formulaic I'm the bully you are the defunct victim, and you are the obligatory dumb bitch and I am this and that is that and the teacher is this... no, this said, wait a minute, why? Lets just do what feels good and rock the page and Quinn Shephard, (Its really hard to believe that a thespian can work the page like this but give props where props are due) This was remarkable and should be lauded... high praises, for teen flicks should be fun and throwing caution to the wind and terrific and attempting to entertain in a really fun way, there are so many ancillary characters that can add different flavors, and this attempted something new and it came out with flying colors , excellent on a universal level , lets hope Quinn will lend her pen to many many more scripts in the future god knows screenplays can afford to be way more fun and interesting!(The scene with the teacher and the student without dialogue and only music, well I have never seen anything like that - and it was truly what film is all about, using camera, music, the thespians in a way to produce art at its finest!)

Abigail Grey (Quinn Shephard) reluctantly goes back to school after some troubles. She is bullied by mean cheerleader Jennifer (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and her group. They call her Sybil and slut. New drama teacher Jeremy Woods (Chris Messina) assigns the Arthur Miller play 'The Crucible' to the class. He notices the bullying and gives an important role to Abigail relegating Jennifer as the understudy.This starts with a bit of Heather. It's going on a predictable but still compelling path. Then it goes away from the path. First, there is the classroom scene where Abigail turns the table on Jennifer. It leaves Abigail as an unreliable character. It would work if it fully commits but it simply left me questioning her with no resolution. Next is the journal entry. I would think any girl would take a picture with her phone. The rumor could spread and the plot moves forward. Instead, that plot sorta stalls until the climax. Also the climax introduces something which is left hanging. Overall, there is a lot of interesting work from young new filmmaker Quinn Shephard but it's not quite sharp enough with too many loose threads and not enough payoff.

I'm annoyed that I sat through this movie with no real pay off at the end. The story was very slow moving and extremely boring. I knew 30 minutes in that it was a boring mess but still kept watching with hopes that it may change but it did not. All three characters are irritating and one dimensional and the teacher is an idiot. There's nothing complex about them nor particularly interesting. This felt like a Lifetime Movie. Very forgettable film.

A thriller disguised as a character drama. I knew very little about Blame going into it, and that was for the best -- Let it surprise you. This movie is fantastic and so supremely clever. As both a directorial and writing debut, this is a wild success, and to have it helmed by a strong performance from the director, writer, producer, and songwriter herself? Amazing. Quinn Shephard is only 22 and she's already who I wanna be when I grow up.Every character is granted so much complexity and range without ever causing a stagnant moment in the story itself. The poster gives off the idea that these girls are being pitted against each other, and while the film initially follows that model, we soon see that these characters have far more compassion for one another than we though. Their relationships are so good, and the way they evolve is even better. I didn't expect this to be a story full of twists and turns, but as a high-school adaptation of The Crucible, it's perfectly fitting. The plants and payoffs Shephard weaves into her narrative are satisfying in the most genuine way.There are perhaps a few moments when Shephard's attention to her character's spreads too far, and we lose sight of our protagonist, but the successes here far outweigh any slight missteps. I don't know how wide of a release this received, but if any of you are able to see this in theaters or on VOD, I strongly recommend it. I love a good high-school movie, and Blame just might be a great one.