Review of Baghead (2008) by Sonia S — 08 Aug 2008

Whatâ??s Hidden Under That? Well Thatâ??s No Fun...

No genre is more polarizing these days then mumblecore. Never heard of it? Itâ??s basically the epitome of your worst fears of an independent feature. The cast is maybe four and five people. There are only two or three sets, usually homes or apartments of the filmmaker and their friends. And then thereâ??s a lot of talking, and its all shot on cheap digital cameras. Needless to say, some see brilliance while others see trash.

Agheadâ??s opening scene sets the stage for great parody. A filmmaker at a festival rambles about how tiny his budget was, how much improvisation there was, and everything else that could frustrate the anti-mumblecore audience. But heâ??s not our hero; instead its Matt (Ross Partirdge), and thatâ??s the kind of movie he wants to make. Along with his friends, they retreat to a small cabin in the woods, ready to write the greatest screenplay ever.

The film looks like its about to be a straight downhill journey from there. The relationship trouble starts, the unfocused camera work, and the single set. But the Duplass Brothers (The Puffy Chair) have something up their sleeve. One of the crew is stalked by a man with a bag over his (or her?) head. Matt sees it as an ingenious premise, but the others are worried. Is the baghead one of them? A fifth person? Or simply a creation of their fears?

Sadly to say, Baghead never explores these elements. Instead it goes into straight horror territory without any sort of thought on the idea of genre. The ending comes as a downer; a strange twist that sounds neither plausible in the narrative nor philosophical sense. Baghead is an interesting and often humorous endeavor, but never fulfills the premise it promises.