McCann's "Revolution 9" tells of a man's sanity slipping away as paranoia takes over his life. This inconsequential and somewhat heavy-handed indie takes on the serious matter of mental health earnestly but with only nominal dramatic success coming from players who seem obviously scripted, reacting to cues, and inclined to over state their roles. Furthermore the matter of paranoid psychosis and it effects on everyone involved is so substantial as to make this film's many artistic embellishments more of a camouflaging affectation than a catalyst. This film would have been better if McCann had backed off the Hollywood stylistics and let the stark reality of the subject speak for itself from a place of austerity, slowing down the process of mental erosion while draining some of the color from the work. Nonetheless, this well intentioned drama with an ambiguous and unsatisfying conclusion should have some entertainment value for those into mental health issues. (C)
Review of Revolution #9
