**********************This review contains spoilers*************************
“You just think that you matter, you know? For the first time you think, that even if it makes you sick, that at least you mattered to somebody.”
Blame is a film that encompasses the full spectrum of high school teenage life, from the rampant immaturity to social stratification to peer pressure. All of these aspects are adequately put on display, but the main theme woven throughout Blame is that of the human need for attention and acknowledgement. The three characters that we follow the most in the film, Abigail, Melissa, and Jeremy, all have their individual crosses to bear regarding their need for someone to take an interest in them. Melissa comes from a chaotic home, harming herself and others so can feel power and control over something in her life. Her stereotypical mean girl act is a cry for someone to notice her pain. Abigail’s mental illness has resulted in her ostracization from the rest of her peers, leaving her vulnerable to the small bit of positive attention from anyone while Jeremy is struggling to hold on to his dream of making it in theater amid pressure from his girlfriend to pursue more steady employment. This need for acknowledgement drives all of these characters to make the choices that they make during the course of the film’s story.
Blame’s narrative borrows from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, right down to the name of our protagonist Abigail. The famous play also serves as the subject of the fictional theater class within the film. Here, Melissa serves as a stand-in for The Crucible’s Abigail and Jeremy for John Proctor. Melissa harbors a deep jealousy and resentment for Jeremy and Abigail’s relationship, just as The Crucible’s Abigail did for John and Elizabeth Proctor. And like The Crucible’s Abigail, Melissa sets out to ruin Jeremy through a campaign of lies in an effort to gain vengeance for her rejection. But, in a third act twist that is a nod toward the movie’s title and brilliantly acted by Alexander, we’re called to question as viewers whether or not Melissa is to blame for her behavior throughout the film. As Blame’s theme is that of the desire for attention and the lengths humans are willing to go to in order to receive it, aren’t her actions in response to trauma and feeling neglected a natural byproduct of the pain she has endured? It’s a question we’re left with that unfolds beautifully as a result of Blame’s direction and writing.
To that end, the story of Blame is the extraordinary debut of Director Quinn Shephard. The 23 year old (she was 20 at the time of filming) wrote the story for the film while in high school and once financing for it fell through, produced and financed it herself. In addition to these three titles, she also starred in the film and edited it. The ability of someone so young to successfully meld The Crucible with a look at modern day high school social politics along with the human need to feel wanted and appreciated cannot be understated. Shephard and cinematographer Aaron Kovalchik’s use of colored lighting against pitch black backgrounds throughout the film is magnificent. The hues range from blue to green to red and really make the camera shots she makes stand out and pop. This is just one of the many aspects of great shots and film-making the director achieves in the film. Another aspect of Shephard’s direction that stood out for me was her use of the girls’ makeup as a visual cue. Melissa wears makeup heavily throughout the film while Abigail starts out hardly wearing any while also dressing modestly. As her relationship with Jeremy develops, Abigail begins to wear more makeup and dresses more provocatively in class. At the film’s conclusion, when both Melissa and Abigail come to terms with their lives and emotional states, both appear onscreen with no makeup, looking younger and more like schoolgirls than young women. This transformation signaled their return to a sort of innocence that had been lost during the earlier course of the film as they navigated the mishmash of teenage angst and troubles. It was a nice touch and signal of Quinn Shephard’s directorial attention to detail
On top of her behind the camera work, Shephard also acts very well in the lead role, agilely going from a quiet, withdrawn teen just coming out of a traumatic event, to a student that has slowly gained the confidence to find her voice due to a teacher’s encouragement, to an infatuated young woman with a lustful eye for a crush, to a broken and confused young girl who just wanted to feel loved. All in one film. Nadia Alexander also excels as a prototypical high school mean girl that you’re drawn to hate as a viewer, but who slowly reveals the obvious trauma that is causing her to become a terror to all who encounter her, making the hateable character one you actually come to feel sorry for. The previously mentioned brilliant scene during the film’s third act where we’re shown what’s really going on in Melissa’s home life was the best acted scene in Blame and what cemented its greatness for me. Alexander’s uber-convincing breakdown during the climactic monologue, slowly morphing from one story into another, was a shocking and satisfying reveal that hit all the right emotions and really put the film over the top.
To say that Blame is an impressive debut for a very young film industry professional in Quinn Shephard is an understatement. The tension within the film moves slowly and gradually, building into a crescendo that explodes during the third act. The issues and themes explored hearken back to a classic story in American theater but are inventively used to examine problems that are as relevant today as they were in the past. After seeing this film, I am extremely excited for what Shephard has in store for us next. In an industry that is crying out for more opportunities for female directors, what the 23 year old has accomplished with this film should catapult her onto everyone’s radars moving forward, producers and executives especially. Everything we see on screen came from her brain and was financed by her alone at such a young age, leaving us to wonder just what she can build to from such a high starting point. Nadia Alexander also shines as the antagonist whose arc takes viewers on an emotional roller coaster from hatred to sympathy. Blame is worth seeing just so you can say you knew about these young performers before everyone else did.
Image: Samuel Goldwyn Films
