Canadian made movies seem to create a dream like parallel "more innocent" American universe which is what I felt watching this "Ghost World" like indie film of a boy detective now attempting to solve his first murder mystery as a young man but in the same suburbs he grew up in as a boy solving minor issues and mysteries asked by his school mates which is hilarious if not endearing on its own as it's illustrated quite humorously in flashbacks.
It is this localization of his connection and familiarity with the community that cleverly aids him in solving a missing person and recent stabbing of an Asian boy reminiscent of a Columbo episode but in a Napoleon Dynamite kind of droll community. It's clunky, slow paced and pretty sloppy as it slogs and meanders along eventually leading to the ultimate pay off but in the most disturbing scene considering its innocent suburbia setting.
This is a smartly made movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it for its mix of humor and unusual methods of sleuthing by knowing the community better than the cops who were also solving the same missing persons and murder cases.
The ending is a big surprise but not as usual surprise endings go in detective movies because it's as slow paced and unassuming as if you're watching someone clear the table after a potluck dinner making it just weird and disturbing but in a thought provoking way. I certainly didn't see it coming.
It is this localization of his connection and familiarity with the community that cleverly aids him in solving a missing person and recent stabbing of an Asian boy reminiscent of a Columbo episode but in a Napoleon Dynamite kind of droll community. It's clunky, slow paced and pretty sloppy as it slogs and meanders along eventually leading to the ultimate pay off but in the most disturbing scene considering its innocent suburbia setting.
This is a smartly made movie and I thoroughly enjoyed it for its mix of humor and unusual methods of sleuthing by knowing the community better than the cops who were also solving the same missing persons and murder cases.
The ending is a big surprise but not as usual surprise endings go in detective movies because it's as slow paced and unassuming as if you're watching someone clear the table after a potluck dinner making it just weird and disturbing but in a thought provoking way. I certainly didn't see it coming.