Reviewer's Bias*
Loves: Interesting indie films, experimental film
Likes: good non-actors
Dislikes: bad non-actors
Hates: People who take themselves too seriously

The Movie
Most everyone who leans to the left knows one: that guy or girl who was born a decade or two too late to be a full-fledged hippie, but who still desires to stick it to the man, and has the blog and/or awful fashion sense to prove it. But somewhere among the mumbling middle-class malcontents, between the guys who just want the marijuana laws relaxed and the people hoping to get laid or avoid working, there are genuine revolutionaries trying to affect change for the greater good.

The problem is, I don't think they are a part of Exist, which frequently feels like the cinematic equivalent of a MySpace page, with grainy video, self-important rants and directionless young people looking for somewhere they belong and the people they'd like to meet. As far as plot goes, Jake, a young black idealistic Harvard dropout, is living with his girlfriend in a squatted house organized by Top, a drifter who approaches political perspective the way others view the bands they like, shunning the poseurs they feel just climbed aboard the bandwagon. Unfortunately for our Rent-lite troopers, the coppers have caught up with the gang, and in the chaos of an eviction raid, Jake's girlfriend gets a beat-down and a cop is shot, which sends him on the run.

In telling the story of Top, director Ester Bell (indie festival darling Godass) has crafted an energetic, low-tech throwback to the street-level indie filmmaking of the late '70s, but it just doesn't function as a complete movie. The two biggest problems are the production quality and the performances by an improvising band of mostly non-professionals, which work in tandem to kill the power of several scenes.

At one point, Top's father (a cop! Can you believe it?!) attempts to talk sense into him, handcuffing him in his car, but the scene fits better in a high-school play than a movie. Sure, the writing, which trips up the performers with over-earnest, pretentious dialogue, doesn't help, but the acting, outside of the lead's fine performance, is just a bit better than the stunts, which are comical. It's never a good thing when a savage beating that's central to the plot is less believable than pro wrestling, but that's just what you get here, along with monologues that would work better in front of a webcam.

It's not all bad, as Bell shows hints of style in the midst of all the cinema-verite shake, rattle and roll, including one memorable scene that's simple in its construction, but perfect in visually representing the state of the character. The use of montage is also effective, thanks in part to a solid, understated musical score, though the accompanying voiceovers don't do them any favors. In the end, what we're left with is an art film with too much talking, and the talking doesn't say enough to be worth listening to.

The DVD
A one-disc release packaged,in a standard keepcase, the DVD has a static, full-frame main menu with options to play the film, select scenes (from a text list), watch the trailer and check out a featurette. There are no audio options, no subtitles and no closed captioning.

The Quality
The film is presented in letterboxed widescreen, and the image, shot on video, looks OK, but the source materials change quality from scene to scene, suffering from excessive grain in one scene, then wash-outs the next, while the color is generally dull from beginning to end, without much in the way of detail. Truthfully, I've seen home movies with better quality video, but when you're going for that dogme realism style, you're not going to get a great picture. On the plus size, there weren't any noticeable compression issues, and since it was shot on video, dirt and damage aren't an issue.

The audio is presented as a Dolby Digital 2.0 track that keeps everything very simple, driving all sound through the center channel. The dialogue is relatively clean, and the music is delivered well.

The Extras
"The Making of Exist" is a 5:40 featurette built around an interview with Bell. The concept she came into the film with is really quite interesting, but it doesn't seem to have translated to the film. In fact, I'd love to see a longer behind-the-scenes documentary about them making the film and the way they lived during production, as it seems more fascinating than the film itself.

The film's trailer is presented in letterboxed widescreen, and it uses the film's best moments and soundbites to make the film an appealing idea.

The Bottom Line
There's a time and a place for voices like Bell's, and normally its alternative film festivals, where it's one of many voices, creating a pool of interesting and different ideas. Here, in your DVD player, it doesn't have that kind of support and doesn't stand well on its own. The DVD looks and sounds decent, considering the material, and the slight extras are worth a look, but you've got to fit the film's narrow audience to have this disc be worth your time.

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*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.