Big Picture Big Sound

You Won't Scream

A lot of unusual films have been passing through ever since the pandemic took over everything, or at least it seems that way to me. Hey, we're all a little whacky, lately, right?

Frank Beauvais's "Just Don't Think I'll Scream" was made before the virus hijacked our lives, but it is perfect for the times we live in. That's not to say I loved it. Heck, I'm not even sure I liked it. Mostly, it felt like an assignment in film-making school or a contest entry. I guess that's not exactly a glowing endorsement.

It's part drama, part documentary and it's about a depressed Parisian man who escapes to a small isolated village in Alsace, where he lives alone, far from everything and everybody.

For almost his entire time there, he watches films, averaging between three and five every day. What we see is endless three or four seconds long clips of these films, while he narrates his awful life. It's so rapid fire that it feels like hitting the speed bag in the gym. I'm not sure that I've ever done that, though. Each clip is supposed to represent what he is narrating, but it happens too fast for me to verify if that's accurate.

Mostly, our protagonist drones on about his romantic break-up, drinking too much alcohol, his tortured relationship with his father, and his troubles falling asleep. It's sort of fascinating to look at - as many tragic stories are - but it's also awfully pretentious.

We learn that he grew up in the area where he's currently holed up but has been away for some time. He returned with his boyfriend because it was cheaper to live there than in the big city, but that relationship fell apart. And this loss helped lead him into a deep depression.

I feel pretty comfortable that the average filmgoer isn't going to list this one as an all-time favorite. Only the most hardcore film devotees might love this one. I'm pretty hardcore, and like to keep an open mind, but it was a bit too much for me.