User Reviews

It's taken a long time to get around to purchasing this film and I'm sorry I waited so long because it really is quite good. In fact, when you consider this is an independent film made by a group of kids still in their teens, with no budget, and very limited experience it is outstanding.

Portrait of a Living Corpse is mainly the project of 19 year old Ryan Bijan who wrote, directed, and played the part of Raoul, and while the movie is far from perfect I think Bijan has a bright future ahead of him in the filmmaking industry and I won't be at all surprised to see his name one day associated with major motion pictures. This young man clearly has not only vision but the incentive to make a dream into reality. Making an independent film is a daunting task in itself- to make one that's any good and to do so at the age of 19 is almost too incredible to believe.

Bijan's Phantom does what other Phantom films do not- it makes a very good attempt to stay true to Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. Most refreshing was the famous graveyard scene complete with skull rolling. No other Phantom film as ever included this part of the book and it was delightful to see it included. Also worth noting are the very cool and beautiful black masks, which in my opinion are the best looking I think I've ever seen in any Phantom film and the wonderful original soundtrack which set the mood perfectly.

Particularly impressive was Bijan's ability to build tension and suspense in many scenes and I must say that the Erik Bijan has created is truly frightening while managing to keep his humanity. Erik is most definitely a dangerous, criminally insane man who shows no emotion while Punjabbing, bludgeoning, or breaking someone's neck, yet you still manage to feel compassion for him. My favorite two scenes in the film are one in which Erik is seen reading the story "Beauty and the Beast." This scene beautifully sums up Erik's own perception of himself as a beast who yearns for a true love to turn him into a prince. My other favorite is when Erik falls to his knees in prayer not only for forgiveness but to be allowed to have a wife and live like any other man. This scene is only about 30 seconds in length but it is heartbreaking to realize the monster behind the mask is also a human being with the same need to appeal to God to be loved as anyone else. Well, done, Ryan.

It should be noted that this film only tells the story up to the unmasking of Erik by Christine- and you don't even get to see the actual unmasking or Erik's face as the film ends abruptly with the final shot that of Christine's hands moving in to snatch off Erik's mask. The plan was for there to be a part two and continue from there-probably in order to raise funds from which to proceed, but its been three years now since the first part was made so I'm not at all sure the second part will ever pan-out but I do hope so. Bijan is about 23 now and I would like to encourage him to somehow complete the second half of his film. As impressed as I was at what he could do at 19 I'd love to see what he could do now that he has some experience under his belt.