This story is a drama about a man (James Franco who plays "William") whom is going to find his life in a new identity. It is also about how he is going to loose it, that is "loosing his life". The movie is being told by "William" and we are to view it in a non-chronological sequence. That make it a bit hard to understand and the viewer has to sharpen his/hers ears. Actually it opens with a scene that is going to happen in the end. We are to be enlightened by learning a letter that William wrote to a character in the play "Ann" (whom is part of a group that's being mentioned later) She reads it and then we know, but we will be hearing Willims voice. Pay attention to this letter. William will tell what happened to him, as we listen we will be watching' scenes that undertakes his experience.
The other title "Shadows and Lies" are much better than "William Vincent" because it reflects on taking a new identity. A new identity could be a lie, it could be a shadow of the former identity too. At least that's what the man we are going to know is going through because he is becoming a shadow and a lie in terms of all who once knew him, is going to think he no longer exist, but he does, it's just a lie now. He is becoming a burton to himself, a lie, on which he cannot prevail. Then he dies.
After he misses a plane which then crashes and leaves everyone on-board dead and incinerated, he finds himself "alive" but then chooses not to go home but continue on to a new life. He doesn't explain why but he does get a new "fake" passport identity in the back-store of a Chinese restaurant. A new name to live on. He then gets a job, but no friends?, what does he do?, he is searching but he seems like a social mishap, he no longer understand the value and seems to be playing with other people. Starts to pick-pocket just for fun, he has money, doesn't need them, he steal a telephone, then throughs it in a waste-container. He is not after that! He needs some inputs/stimuli from other people. The scene where he steals a telephone leads him on to a group that shows interest in him. They think he has skills, they want to use him, make him a part of what they do. He accepts and this new relation is all the movie is about, his identity being build up and then taking apart. Very dramatic and truth-full movie, that is - yes, society has it's dark sides.
The other title "Shadows and Lies" are much better than "William Vincent" because it reflects on taking a new identity. A new identity could be a lie, it could be a shadow of the former identity too. At least that's what the man we are going to know is going through because he is becoming a shadow and a lie in terms of all who once knew him, is going to think he no longer exist, but he does, it's just a lie now. He is becoming a burton to himself, a lie, on which he cannot prevail. Then he dies.
After he misses a plane which then crashes and leaves everyone on-board dead and incinerated, he finds himself "alive" but then chooses not to go home but continue on to a new life. He doesn't explain why but he does get a new "fake" passport identity in the back-store of a Chinese restaurant. A new name to live on. He then gets a job, but no friends?, what does he do?, he is searching but he seems like a social mishap, he no longer understand the value and seems to be playing with other people. Starts to pick-pocket just for fun, he has money, doesn't need them, he steal a telephone, then throughs it in a waste-container. He is not after that! He needs some inputs/stimuli from other people. The scene where he steals a telephone leads him on to a group that shows interest in him. They think he has skills, they want to use him, make him a part of what they do. He accepts and this new relation is all the movie is about, his identity being build up and then taking apart. Very dramatic and truth-full movie, that is - yes, society has it's dark sides.