The lines between art and real-life begin to blur when an ambitious filmmaker realizes she's good at getting away with murder.
Sometimes you can get a film that is technically a good film, potentially even great, yet it leaves the audience feeling out of place and uncomfortable. I Blame Society manages to tick a lot of boxes from cinematography and character-building standpoints. Be that as it may, to a mainstream audience the aspects that the film succeeds in may also succeed in making it off-putting; both visually and thematically.
It is quite often the case with satirical works, where the line between reality and fiction begins to blur, and confusion creeps in around whether the audience is meant to laugh or be concerned. Director, Writer, and Star, Gillian Wallace Horvat, starts blurring the line immediately, with the main character of the feature to an unknown extent based on Horvat herself, sharing name, occupation, and family.
I Blame Society starts off innocent enough, with the illusion of a documentary based around a back-handed compliment she received from friends, a simple premise that soon spirals into sociopathy as her narcissistic attributes hook in deep as she struggles to gain any support towards her career in filmmaking.
The entire film is a facade that aims to look as amateur as possible. Constant mixes of resolution and aspect ratios give the appearance of multiple different devices being used to record the feature, which would allow Horvat to complete the feature without any help. Shots are effectively layered and constructed, showing Horvat collecting or placing different devices to indicate how that angle was achieved.
All in all, this looks like a very amateurish production. There is nothing that looks polished, everything feels raw. It doesn't make it an overly enjoyable viewing experience, however. Dissecting the scenes would be a great activity for film students, but for the regular moviegoer, it is unappealing in its raw visual style and frenetic nature.
The film attempts to attack the film industry itself and its false-flag allyship with women, diversity, and LGBTQ+ communities, and how producers and managers will leverage their power to capitalize on those demographics trying to make it in Hollywood, taking advantage of how far a filmmaker will be for their craft. The satire is very much on-the-nose and accurate but does little in the way of affecting the main plot of the film. One could perhaps argue that Horvat's lack of support has accelerated her spiral into darkness, but it simply doesn't feel genuine.
And that is the real issue here. I Blame Society doesn't feel real. It feels structured and manufactured and, in many places, the low-budget effects will cause trouble with the audiences' suspension of disbelief. The gender politics, faux feminism, and filmmaking style are great discussion points for those that are aware of the techniques and topics, but for those looking for a narrative with likeable characters, I have to side with the "broducers" in the film and say that, it just didn't appeal; the slow pacing and erratic visual mediums make I Blame Society a chore to sit through.
There is certainly a message, and Horvat has certainly not made any compromises and is unapologetic in her journey of creating this piece, but this will not appeal to the general masses as it simply is not an easily digestible film.
I Blame Society is in cinemas from April 29, 2021