Review of The Tracey Fragments (2007) by Nikolai E — 27 Nov 2008

Yep, five stars. It deserves no fewer. So much of this film defies belief. I can't believe they even attempted such a flat-out batshit loco multi-frame visual gimmick. I can't believe they actually pulled it off, creating fully comprehensible and beautiful compositions that are both formalistic and engaging while highlighting details and essentially allowing you to edit a scene in your head at will.

I can't emphasize this enough, the fact that I can simply wonder briefly what's going on with the off-screen subject in a conversation and then effectively cut to another angle with a glance of my eyes is ceaselessly delightful, and I'd love to see this concept emerge in other forms, like a comic book film or videogame.

This ain't 'Timecode' here people, it's more like 'choose your own ideal editing pace and scene structure'. I haven't seen such an abrasive visual style tamed so masterfully to an artistic vision since Natural Born Killers.

It's wonderful. I also can't believe that after this spectacular showpiece of acting, they toss Ellen the Oscar nom for JUNO, especially when this film really is everything Juno was posing as: Independent, raw, uncompromising.

But most of all, I can't believe they managed to render this bitch within the editor's lifespan. The sheer computing muscle it must have taken to pound this puppy into shape really is mind-boggling, and speaks highly of the determination of its craftsmen.

Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I was solidly delighted from one end to the other and even if you leave scratching your head, it's worth the risk. I'm going to have to stop ignoring Bruce McDonald now.