Reviews of You Deplete Me 34

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  You Deplete Me Review
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by amibrown on 05/17/2013
  Wow, what can I say. The language, wording and script - very powerful, poetic. I think this is a nice concept, the inner thoughts, spoken, simple set, real and up-close. I feel like I was starting to feel his madness just watching it. I know the effect of the eyes twitching and the close up on the hands were powerful, but not quite sure of how it related to the word.... Wow, what can I say. The language, wording and script - very powerful, poetic. I think this is a nice concept, the inner thoughts, spoken, simple set, real and up-close. I feel like I was starting to feel his madness just watching it.
  I know the effect of the eyes twitching and the close up on the hands were powerful, but not quite sure of how it related to the word. More of a mental reaction to his thoughts I'm thinking.
  Suggestions:
  The lighting and shadows were pretty off. Really large shadows on the wall, or his face in some scenes were a little distracting, making me remember that this is a film.
  Also the acting - at times was a little overdone. The scribbling on the paper, you could tell he wasn't writing the words as he spoke. I like the repeating of some of the laughs, and sounds - it seemed to be accentuating his fragile mental state.
  The editing, transitions between scenes seemed a little rushed, not a nice flow. Some of the quick flashes were a nice break - maybe intended to be crazy thoughts or fast changes.
  The actor had a couple empty bottle of booze, but didn't sound drunk - not sure if that is important, but I would have thought if he had drunk them, he would be a little slurry. His actions were drunk - just not his speech.
  These are my thoughts - overall a strong short film, made me want to know more about his relationship - I would have loved to seen flashbacks of them together, when he was happy - and how much of a transformation has occurred.
  Nice job on this film. read
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  Do something about it!
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by taylorfreeland on 05/10/2013
  Depressed and lonely men sitting in their apartments do not make good lead characters! Although the actor did a great job with the material presented to him, displaying a wide array of emotions, simply put, it was pointless and repetitive. The short could have been cut down to a single minute and the viewer still would have gotten the message and understood the character. I... Depressed and lonely men sitting in their apartments do not make good lead characters! Although the actor did a great job with the material presented to him, displaying a wide array of emotions, simply put, it was pointless and repetitive. The short could have been cut down to a single minute and the viewer still would have gotten the message and understood the character. I understood what you were getting at and trying to portray, but really, break ups and lonely men moping around are just not interesting or visually appealing.
  Technically however, everything was great and a major step up from some of your previous works. Lighting and set design portrayed the mood well and visually expressed the darkness and disarray that filled his mind perfectly. The jump cuts and sudden snaps in attitude and behavior were great and again visually helped show the characters state of mind.
  What I am trying to get at is that the story should be visual and told through mostly actions and images. Most important of all, the character must take action. Action is character and characters drive the story. Your short which is almost entirely dialogue would make a good poem or short story, but as a film, the audience needs more. Having a man walk around his apartment for five minutes going through the same motions is redundant and unnecessary. This would make a great opening scene, setting the mood and hooking the audience, but by itself, the scene just does not hold up. read
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  Okay
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by SamanthaMcgraw on 05/08/2013
  " You Deplete Me " Is a whirlwind of sadness and anger. It rhymes a lot. The concept is good, and the delivery is as expected. My question is why. Why did Carly leave the sad and drunk man? Was it because he's a messy alcoholic? I need to know why these two are not together (maybe I missed it). I need to know the state of the lead character, before he was depleted. That's... " You Deplete Me " Is a whirlwind of sadness and anger. It rhymes a lot. The concept is good, and the delivery is as expected. My question is why. Why did Carly leave the sad and drunk man? Was it because he's a messy alcoholic?
  
  I need to know why these two are not together (maybe I missed it). I need to know the state of the lead character, before he was depleted. That's why I couldn't really get with the story. However, you are braver than I am, to get in front of the camera and just let it go. So for that I give you a standing ovation. read
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  Story is King
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by melmasri on 02/03/2013
  First off, I want to congratulate on completing this short. It's always an achievement to actually go out and produce and cut and complete a short. The things I enjoyed were the lighting, some of your shot selection as well -- particularly the ones that reflected the deteriorating mental state of the main character. A lot of the hand-held stuff is cool. Where your short... First off, I want to congratulate on completing this short. It's always an achievement to actually go out and produce and cut and complete a short.
  
  The things I enjoyed were the lighting, some of your shot selection as well -- particularly the ones that reflected the deteriorating mental state of the main character. A lot of the hand-held stuff is cool.
  
  Where your short struggles, is simply in narrative. I'm not sure exactly what the story is. And as an audience member I give the first minute of this man falling apart over Carly -- is interesting to a degree. But three minutes in when he's still going at it and no plot has conceivably moved forward. It's difficult. The key thing in the short form is keeping a captive audience and a button at the end that resolves tension.
  
  I think anytime the camera is static in a film like this, it bumps because it's a psychological film. The camera needs to keep moving. You could have used with a few inserts on the letter itself.
  
  But good job. Keep going! read
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  An actor's vehicle
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by Argucia on 01/16/2013
  Dark, unsettling and intense monologue. I have to admit that I wanted to stop it halfway the first time. "I have had enough of shortfilms about a couple break-up", I thought. But then I realize something was wrong with that impression. I watched again and then it was clear: the man left the booze and it's driving him nuts. Or maybe he just run out of liquor and he can't stand... Dark, unsettling and intense monologue. I have to admit that I wanted to stop it halfway the first time. "I have had enough of shortfilms about a couple break-up", I thought. But then I realize something was wrong with that impression.
  
  I watched again and then it was clear: the man left the booze and it's driving him nuts. Or maybe he just run out of liquor and he can't stand it. This is not about a woman who left a man, but about a man sinking because of withdrawal symptons.
  
  In a way, I find brilliant the choice of having the protagonist dealing with the symptons by writing a complaint letter, like an abandoned lover. I'm not quite sure if it pays off OK at the end, but I get the idea.
  
  Being a monologue, all the weight of the film relays on the actor's shoulders, and I think he delivers. Also the messed room looks disturbing and it works fine. Acting, art, photography and writing seem fine to me. I didn't really enjoy the directing, I found it a little bit over-the-top for my taste. Also editing and specially sound look really amateur, which doesn't help.
  
  It's worth watching the film, mainly for the acting. read
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  Not a bad sketch.
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by duncanworldmedia on 01/05/2013
  Technically this is not a story; it's a sketch. To be a story there has to be change. A character or situation starts out one way and at the end is different. So technically it's a sketch. I'm not a big fan of sketches, so it's very difficult for me to value this piece on it's merits. As far as production value it was solid for the most part. Nice lighting, color scheme and... Technically this is not a story; it's a sketch. To be a story there has to be change. A character or situation starts out one way and at the end is different. So technically it's a sketch.
  
  I'm not a big fan of sketches, so it's very difficult for me to value this piece on it's merits. As far as production value it was solid for the most part. Nice lighting, color scheme and wardrobe. I think the character is overracting a bit. Being crazy intense from clip one to the final clip dillutes craziness as we watch it and by the end I really just find the character annoying. I don't feel sorry for him, I just think "boy, would that guy get on my nerves!"
  
  I also found that the writing wasn't strong enough to be paid attention to over the acting. I just remember what the character did and really nothing he said. So somewhere over the course of all the clips I found myself tuning out.
  
  I get the point of the sketch. It's a comment about alcoholism, or maybe the authors experiences with alcoholism dramaticized into a film. I realize the "deplete me" idea resembles alcoholism for many, but I don't know if the acting does. Alcoholism doesn't drive people to mania like that, at least not normally. If a person has mania it would be not typical for an alcoholic and merely typical of his mania. So as far as a point about alcoholism I think the acting contradicts the "deplete me" theme simply due to its incincerity in comparison.
  
  I think this is a film some people might like. I recognize that it's produced well, but I just didn't enjoy it. read
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  Review of Depleted
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by rrm on 12/21/2012
  My second review of films by the same guys. Not sure of this is newer than Reeled In, but this a far more solid effort, with a stronger story and more for the actor to work with. I could have done without the laughter carrying on over the credits, otherwise nicely done. Rono
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  You Deplete Me
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by **DELETED ACCOUNT** on 11/29/2012
  You Deplete Me Hello. I watched your film several times, waited a day, then watched it several times again. Something about it felt disjointed, disconnected, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was making it feel that way. So – today I listened to the film with my eyes closed and then watched it again. Now – I think I can explain the feeling of disconnect I felt between the... You Deplete Me
  Hello. I watched your film several times, waited a day, then watched it several times again. Something about it felt disjointed, disconnected, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was making it feel that way.
  So – today I listened to the film with my eyes closed and then watched it again. Now – I think I can explain the feeling of disconnect I felt between the words and the visuals.
  Let’s start with the actor. He is handsome – hair a little long, nice physique. He wears his clothes in a gentlemanly fashion – rugged, and stylish. He has an “old world” feeling.
  That feeling of being a sexual being is supported by his words. They are poetic in nature. The dialogue flows beautifully and even rhymes at times. The cadence is like a refrain in a poem or the chorus in a song. That is impressive writing; it adds to the feeling that the character is educated and attractive.
  And not only the meter of his speech, but also the word choices (kilt and kin) – (a black tie soiree) add to the feeling of wealth and intellect.
  The dialogue is very well written.
  When I listen to the words, I expect to open my eyes and find a handsome man in a beautiful apartment – even a castle – an old fort. The layered speech suggests a luxurious environment.
  But - the tone of the words doesn’t mesh with the environment. Looking at the bedroom, the audience knows why Carly left. It may be that he has destroyed this room in response to Carly leaving, but the furnishings and the “look” of the place certainly don’t suggest that this character would have any idea of what going to a black tie soiree would entail. That doesn’t mesh together well.
  It is very difficult to believe that a beautiful man who speaks in a beautiful way would live in such a dismal place.
  To be able to make the comparison – dark alleys and black tie soirees, he’d have to know both places. To be depleted, he would have to have something to lose.
  Again, the words spoken are lovely. I enjoyed listening to them. The actor is powerful, but the juxtaposition of the visual and the auditory elements doesn’t work. It feels like two different stories – one playing out visually and the other playing out in an auditory world.
  Other things happen that intensify this feeling.
  The film begins with silence, yet ends with “mad scientist” laughter. I guess the character is being driven into madness, but it sounds more like an Adam’s Family laugh. And it should begin with sound of some sort – Carly’s voice on the answering machine – something.
  There are no pieces of anything around to let the audience see Carly. Why aren’t there pictures of her around? Why isn’t he dancing with her dress or coat instead of his own shirt? Why aren’t there pictures on the mirror? Where is Carly?
  The actor acts as if he is writing. The movement of his pen doesn’t match what he is saying. That doesn’t connect the words with the actions. To tie the two together, the actions should match for the first few seconds – until he puts the pen down.
  The actor is handsome. The place is a dump. The audience roots for Carly. She escapes this dismal place. Shouldn’t the main character have something to offer Carly? Looking around, why would she stay?
  The actor says their first dance was disco – but he doesn’t look old enough for that to be right. Another disconnect. (It also implies that this relationship has a long history – so – I ask again – where are the physical tokens that show Carly to the audience?
  The actor manipulates a liquor bottle. That implies that he has consumed the entire bottle. He also flips a wine bottle in his hand. So there’s another empty bottle. Yet – his language isn’t slurred. He isn’t stumbling. He is sad, devastated, but not unsteady. That doesn’t connect.
  The dialogue begins with a string of clichés: our times together – good time – you and me against the world, thick and thin. Then it moves into an original and individual flow of words like of kilt and kin. Now, instead of using clichés, the writer takes clichés like “pull the wool” and “rug out” and mixes them and makes the speech clever and interesting and original. That doesn’t connect: it is as if one character started the speech and another character took over and wrote a much more interesting speech.
  The actor says – I left you, now you’re leaving me. This is another example of a disconnect. If he initiated the leaving, why is he so upset now?
  Another line – You saw through my true nature, my low nature. If you see through – doesn’t that imply that the facade is false? The way this is worded is strange and confusing.
  If he loves her to the point of distraction, why does she deplete him? Is this an epiphany on his part? If so, why doesn’t his behavior change?
  I think there are so many interesting elements in this film; I just think each element needs to connect with other.
  I do hope that some of these ideas will be helpful. There are so many elements about this film that are wonderful. Thank you for sharing. read
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  Not bad
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by Justingray03 on 11/18/2012
  That was pretty good! I was a bit worried when i first started watching it, but your actor is able to pull of the dialogue pretty well. The location is wonderful and so is his wardrobe. I did notice some sound pops in the cuts which could get fixed up and a couple other little things in the audio, I feel like it was well done, and with a bit more editing to make it tighter... That was pretty good! I was a bit worried when i first started watching it, but your actor is able to pull of the dialogue pretty well. The location is wonderful and so is his wardrobe. I did notice some sound pops in the cuts which could get fixed up and a couple other little things in the audio, I feel like it was well done, and with a bit more editing to make it tighter it could be a pretty strong little piece. read
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  Depletion is underestimated in this piece.
  A review of You Deplete Me
  by Leticia Alaniz on 11/14/2012
  The actor delivered a great monologue of a letter he read of a lost love. The lighting and camera work look very good, however there is little to no establishing of a story of why the character is feeling depleted and lonely which leaves the viewer with many questions without answers. This could easily form a scene of a feature film with the look of a period piece because... The actor delivered a great monologue of a letter he read of a lost love. The lighting and camera work look very good, however there is little to no establishing of a story of why the character is feeling depleted and lonely which leaves the viewer with many questions without answers. This could easily form a scene of a feature film with the look of a period piece because of the style of acting of the actor which is what I most enjoyed. The voice over laughter at the end could be cut a lot shorter. read