Review of Blue Caprice (2013) by Cole J — 18 Oct 2013

Blue Caprice is pretty much the point of view of Lee who is a teen brought up in the Caribbean, Lee is essentially abandoned by his single mother and finds family in John, an American spending time on a holiday with his children. From the beginning, it is clear John is full of anger which is mostly directed at his ex-wife who has full custody of their kids. He has a textbook case of narcissistic personality disorder, and vents about all the people that have done him harm, and how the world is against him. Lee who is very impressionable is almost instantly spellbound by John with dreams of having a life in the U.S., and listens to John's wayward lectures about life. These lectures are really poor rants which soon turn into play-by-play revenge fantasies on anyone who either has slighted him or isn't on his side.

Very soon after their arrival in Tacoma, Washington, it is clear that John has no real prospects. His kids have gone back to his ex, their whereabouts unknown, and a restraining order prevents him from finding them. The two rely on the kindness of John's friends as they basically couch surf the entire time. Meanwhile, Lee's indoctrination continues with a ferocious energy as John molds him into a misanthropic weapon through guilt and harsh psychological games. Murder becomes a way for Lee to show gratitude towards John and all he has done for him it is a way of earning the father he sees in John.

It is hard not to have sympathy for Lee since he is clearly brainwashed, which is a surprising accomplishment for a film covering this type of subject matter. This film is about poor leadership and poor fathering. Humanizing the culpability of these horrific events cannot be easy, but Blue Caprice captures the extreme lengths one goes through as he struggles to belong. As far as acting Tequan Richmond in particular gives the best performance without a question. Most of his on screen time is absent of dialogue meaning that he was constantly having to communicate with just body language. In the case of Lee Malvo, his brooding silence becomes ever so much more terrifying because we are only able to guess at his motives only catching faint glimpses of the wheels turning in his head. It is this sense of unknowing that makes Tequan's performance so chilling and captivating. As admirable as the directors style is Blue Caprice doesn't offer the sense of closure or new information that makes it more than a cold, if disciplined directorial exercise. Their emotional problems and psychological ills were never fully examined in the flick.