I Blame Society (2021)

There are several reasons to write reviews about films. Obviously when you are given the title, “film critic,” the idea is to critique what you’re watching. But as I’ve gotten older and empathy has gotten stronger, I almost feel like criticizing less and learning to accept more when it comes to various forms of artistic expression. Perhaps it makes me more of a “film enthusiast,” eager for experiences that excite and challenge. That’s not to say I’m going to love everything I see either. But I may be more inclined to look past or embrace imperfections as opposed to pointing them all out - like a creative writing teacher with a dreaded red pen. Undoubtedly, I will still watch movies that I dislike or find mediocre, but I Blame Society is not one of them. It is the arrival of a great new talent that I know we’re going to be hearing more from in the future. (But she has also made a couple of great short films that you should track down as well). This is the kind of movie we need now more than ever. Not just in terms of what it’s trying to say but for sheer entertainment value and audacity. I am telling everyone I know to see this immediately and get back to me with their thoughts.

When it was over, I knew that writing a traditional review would probably not convey my excitement for this original new vision from Gillian Wallace Horvat. Also, I certainly got the impression that the creator was a true blue artist and someone that loves film from a variety of angles. To write it off as just another mockumentary satire would be a disservice. Horvat is somehow deconstructing the idea of satire and making it completely her own. It definitely makes me curious if she will follow in the footsteps of someone like Andrew Buljaski whose Computer Chess is a a strange film that I consider to be another jaw-dropping work of art due to its originality and sense of humor. Granted, a type of humor that is an acquire taste. Continuing to make independent cinema that is always genuine, character-driven and off the beaten path is always welcome in the day and age of exhausting mythologies surrounding the Marvel Universe. I watch movies to be surprised, engaged and intellectually stimulated. I Blame Society does that and more.

What if you were told, “you would make a great serial killer?” That kickstarted the impetus for this wild Heathers-esque journey for Gillian, who plays herself. She makes her first movie and not everybody is receptive to it in a way that is encouraging. Her boyfriend is indifferent to her dreams. Her manager and producers dismiss her and change their minds on what they want. But Gillian is determined to make it even in the face of both patriarchy and misogyny in the film industry. One day, one of her friends’ makes says that she would make a good murderer. (Oddly enough, Tarantino himself once said, “if I weren’t a filmmaker, I might’ve been a serial killer.”) Holding on to one of the few bits of praise she gets, she turns this proclamation into a movie. A theoretical premise that evolves into a Patrick Bateman-like killing spree. Gillian films as many of her encounters as possible, some of which are simultaneously funny and disturbing and tension-inducing, like when she briefly hangs out with a homeless individual. Moments like that recall the strengths of the recently released Promising Young Woman, another ambitious film that has a lot on its mind but questionably, has an ending that may or may not undermine its ideas. That’s not the case here at all. 

The psychological complexity behind her actions is both layered and unhinged. The film that we are watching is dark comedy at its finest but there’s an underlying sadness to the fact that this woman is put into this position. Granted, she makes all her own choices and at times wrestles with them, but there’s also a downward spiral that may never have occurred if someone in the industry just listened and gave her a chance. When the movie ended, my first thoughts were simply, “give filmmakers like Gillian more than just a chance, allow her to have access to funds that will guarantee the ability for her to foster a career and make incredibly daring art.” I Blame Society is an example of incredibly daring art that will without question make you laugh, often while cringing at what the character is saying or doing. Beneath the laughs and the violence, there is an affirming message that women’s voices have been denied and ignored for far too long. Those in power within the film industry seem to continually disregard the kind of work they should be making. I don’t see those sitting in a boardroom at Disney ever making films like Computer Chess or I Blame Society, but they should. True art is adventurous, strange, challenging, but it is also enlightening and thought-provoking. I Blame Society is true art that happens to be one of the funnier, darker excursions into the wildly ambitious mind of someone who is mad as hell and decides not to take it anymore. The dying industry needs more Gillians out there but let’s be grateful that at least this Gillian made one of 2021’s best films so far.

Two more great reviews you should read:
https://awfj.org/blog/2021/02/16/i-blame-society-review-by-alexandra-heller-nicholas
https://dailydead.com/review-round-up-i-blame-society-and-swallow

I Blame Society is available everywhere on VOD now!