Review of Black Licorice (2019) by Udor F — 28 Jun 2014

I was fortunate to have received an invitation to attend the NYC premiere at the 2014 Manhattan Film Festival.

Before the movie was screened, the executive producer Robert Borneman, who wrote the script as well, explained that this movie was inspired by the suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Rutger's University student who committed suicide after his private life had been viciously exposed to the public. The parents of Tyler were attending this premiere as well. This event triggered Mr. Borneman's desire to make a film that contemplates the effect that photography and the right to personal privacy have on each other.

'Snapshot' is the obvious result of three years of hard labor with sacrifices of the cast, crew and the executive producers Robert Borneman and his wife Joyce without the mega-budgets of big Hollywood blockbusters, yet, a story that pays attention to detail and written in a sleek tempo that lets you hold your breath at times. The cast was a delight as well, with many familiar face from Oscar nominees to actors who have been in successful films and current television dramas.

The unpredictability of that movie actually surprised me, you never knew what is going to happen next, because the script led you in one direction, causing assumptions, only to be surprised that you were wrong all along. It had its funny and serious moments, delivering a message without being preachy. Lot's of twists... and an ending... the very ending... that is just one of those "WTF... OMG... Wow... Hahahaa... that was unexpected" - moments... That last scene, was like the final dash of some exotic seasoning added to an already enjoyable lunch, but turning it into an even more exciting dinner at a fine restaurant with a pleasant companion.

As a fashion photographer, I have a few technical issues, e.g. the wrong and too loud shutter noise or funny choice of lenses, which every single photographer who will watch the movie will notice, but the non-photographic audience, which will be in the majority won't notice and, as the photographers in the audience... won't really care about, since the movie in itself is just enjoyable while giving the viewer interesting points of views to consider.