Review of The Tracey Fragments (2007) by Benjamin B — 13 Aug 2008

At first, I wasn't really prepared for the unconventional images on screen. After getting past the first 5 to 10 minutes of the erratic film , I settled down and became very comfortable with the format. Strangely enough the credits rolled off on the screen after 15 minutes into the story. I found all of these unorthodox methods of filmmaking amazing. As this story evolved, I was hooked on this captivating claustrophobic psychodrama.

It begins with the 15-year-old Tracey's definition of herself as "just another normal girl who hates herself" and circles through its limited calendar of events using repetition to search for the reality behind a worsening madness. The split screen has never been used so purposefully or with such aesthetic care, capturing the multiple perspectives of a character who cannot separate reality from illusion because the whole world is inside her head.

This narrative has Ellen Page in almost every frame making this her own vehicle. Page delivers a brilliant performance. Her mumbling tirades teeter on the ledge between agony and cynicism without falling into either category. The range Page displays portraying this unique character distinguishes her as one of the most talented actresses today.

The skillful mixture of Tracey's facts and fantasies are broken up into the multiple screens displaying a taut and riveting narrative. The portrait these scenes show is a teenage girl on the edge of insanity. Every sequence of this masterful film gives a raw and moving account of twists and turns unveiling that she was sexually assaulted, taunted by classmates, betrayed and whose mind is, well, fragmented.