Based on the true story of the disappearance and murder of Rachel Barber, a 15 year old, ballet loving girl in Australia. I Am You is split into three parts. Initially we follow the parents (played convincingly by Miranda Otto and Guy Pearce) as they seek assistance in the hunt for their daughter. The police seem to have little care for their story and give little assistance to the parents in locating their daughter. The second follows the killer, a dumpy 20 year old former neighbour who is envious of Rachel's beauty and her loving family. played magnificently by Ruth Bradley this is undoubtedly the stand out segment of the film as we are taken inside the deranged mind of Caroline, who was actually sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and not declared insane when it came to sentencing. The third section follows Rachel up to the point of her murder. This section felt hurried and little effort seems to have been made to develop Rachel as a character, instead she is just shown as your typical, one-dimensional popular teen.
This gimmicky approach ultimately undermines the films as all three sections only take up around an hour through the films run time and feel as though they were ordered wrongly. The rest of the time is allocated to allowing the police to find out what we already know. Done well this could have enhanced the film, instead the viewer is left stumped as to why the Director chose to include this undoubtedly dull section. On top of this the director adds further gimmicks needlessly. Panning Steadicam shots and hushed whispers and breathing dubbed over the soundtrack, there to represent the spirit of Rachel watching over the events are ultimately a waste of time as they add little in the way of substance and serve only as lacklustre attempt at adding an artsy feel to the films. Ultimately these attempts leave the film feeling like a pretentious, true-crime story. Well worth a watch, but definitely not deserving of a second viewing.
5/10
Big props on the soundtrack full of John Butler tracks though. His little cameo was a nice touch too.
This gimmicky approach ultimately undermines the films as all three sections only take up around an hour through the films run time and feel as though they were ordered wrongly. The rest of the time is allocated to allowing the police to find out what we already know. Done well this could have enhanced the film, instead the viewer is left stumped as to why the Director chose to include this undoubtedly dull section. On top of this the director adds further gimmicks needlessly. Panning Steadicam shots and hushed whispers and breathing dubbed over the soundtrack, there to represent the spirit of Rachel watching over the events are ultimately a waste of time as they add little in the way of substance and serve only as lacklustre attempt at adding an artsy feel to the films. Ultimately these attempts leave the film feeling like a pretentious, true-crime story. Well worth a watch, but definitely not deserving of a second viewing.
5/10
Big props on the soundtrack full of John Butler tracks though. His little cameo was a nice touch too.