Would you commit a crime to fulfill your dreams? I Blame Society delivers a very satirical answer for this.

Gillian (Gillian Wallace Horvat) can’t seem to have her big break— she’s constantly rejected as a filmmaker. One day, a couple of friends tell her that she has the qualities of a serial killer and, as the innovative filmmaker she claims to be, she takes it as a compliment and tries to include this “quality” in her life. Three years pass and Gillian is still waiting for her big break when suddenly a couple of producers invite her to present a project that they have chosen for her to develop. For Gillian this is still a failure because she doesn’t want to translate other people’s ideas for the big screen; she prefers to let her ideas come to life. This makes her reconsider and decide to return to the plot for a documentary she was cooking three years ago: record on video the steps to commit the perfect murder. Isn’t there a TV show about this? Not in her world.

Presented as a mockumentary inside a documentary, I Blame Society is a dark comedy with dark twists and dark features. It makes an in-depth observation of how difficult it is to stand out in a world where the prefabricated aesthetics have a higher pedestal than the never-before-seen and creative sides. Even though the title might make a reference to the struggles the character of Gillian confronts, it feels more like an open letter to the movie industry which is more demanding than a society consuming whatever is being marketed.

The satire inside the film is very deep and it cuts through several themes that are hard to dismiss as the film evolves— the film itself ages and becomes even more mature halfway to the climax. It seems to start as a joke but, like every other person that takes themselves too seriously, it becomes a harsh reality to a character who feels failure breathing on her neck every time someone seems to not believe in her. The whole thing is meta— it keeps informing you that it is not a work of fiction, even though it is. Or is it? I had to check the cast’s social media profiles twice to see if they had posted anything recently, and they have. There are some things that don’t make sense or don’t correlate with the plot of the film. But most of it can be ignored if you keep in mind that it’s basically a mock of other films with similar subjects.

I Blame Society is dark in every possible way. It’s a joyride that abruptly ends like a rollercoaster being stopped by tight track brakes. It might make you question and wonder several things as you watch and most of them will be answered, while the rest will just stay there lingering in the air. But don’t worry for your sanity; it’ll remain intact unless you question yourself if you’re willing to go as far as Gillian did for the sake of lifting her career. If you do, please contact an expert, immediately.

8 OUT OF 10 SESAME SEEDS