‘Filmmaking needs some new blood’
I Blame Society is a 2020 American dark comedy thriller about a young female filmmaker who decides to commit the perfect murder.
Directed by Gillian Wallace Horvat – making her feature debut – from a screenplay co-written with Chase Williamson, both of whom co-star. The Nowhere production also stars Keith Poulson and Lucas Kavner.
Plot:
Gillian (Gillian Wallace Horvat) is one of those many struggling filmmakers in L.A. who just can’t seem to get the money for their first feature. Feeling like her friends and her partner (Keith Poulson) are losing faith in her abilities, she decides to resurrect her abandoned documentary based on a pseudo-compliment she once received that she would make a good murderer. But while she documents what makes “the perfect murder” a hitherto unseen dark side of Gillian emerges and grows.
Furthermore the problem with being a successful serial killer, she discovers, is keeping the whole thing stealth, denying her the recognition that she craves… and that unhinges her even more. After accidentally-ish killing her best friend (Chase Williamson), Gillian goes on a killing spree culminating with a final bloody act that nobody would dare deny her credit for.
Reviews:
“While I Blame Society inherently deals with feminist concepts, it’s also a movie about murder. There are several cool set pieces that rival the best of any well-made indie horror film. The script, which is written by Horvat and Williamson, is hilarious while also being thought-provoking. It truly encompasses the difficulties in becoming a successful director.” Film Threat
“The two main problems are the script, co-written by Horvat and Williamson, and the central performance. Try as she might, I just don’t think Horvat felt right in the lead role. It all feels like acting throughout, whereas the whole thing could have been better if there was someone who was able to convincingly portray that detached coldness needed for most of the small set-pieces that occur.” For It Is Man’s Number
“Writer-director and star Gillian Horvat is a welcome and distinct new comic voice. Her humor is dark and weird and yet delivered with the enthusiasm of a mainstream comedy. The mix should not work and yet it does, Horvat is so confidently in control of the strange tone of I Blame Society that her that you can’t help but buy in…” Horror Vocal Media
“I Blame Society is thoroughly entertaining and does an excellent job of giving us a believable and (almost) sympathetic psychopathic killer while at the same time causing the viewer to wince at what she actually gets up to. It’s all great stuff…” House of Mortal Cinema
“Horvat’s singular vision carries the film through some of its rockier moments — if nothing else, Horvat can always try her hand at cringe comedy, because she’s got the flair and conviction to make even the craziest stuff impossible to turn away from […] The eventual twists might shock, but Horvat lands it all with a bruiser of an ending…” IndieWire
” …most of the violence takes place off-screen. The film prefers instead to focus on how the murders affect Gillian and her filmmaking process. I Blame Society finds the perfect balance between horror and comedy, delivering a film that is funny, fresh, and very angry.” Killer Horror Critic
“I Blame Society manages to take an earnest subject and classic cinematic effects and transforms them into something deliciously strange […] Culminating into a gruesome finale, Horvat’s first feature lays bare everything that is wrong in the current film industry.” Loud and Clear
“The most enjoyable kind of dark comedy, one that embraces its DIY indie spirit, featuring a strong performance by its creator – in whose shoes we all have likely wanted to be, whether we want to admit it or not – I Blame Society takes a very tongue-in-cheek look at the indie film world, the struggle to express yourself, and the odd outlets we all find that will allow our skills to thrive.” Screen Anarchy
“The film does hit on a few Hollywood insider jokes and jabs, but not in an inaccessible sort of way. I do feel I Blame Society is geared towards a very specific audience, but fans of the macabre will be partial to this inventive, disturbing movie.” Screen Zealots
“While I Blame Society runs a little out of steam in its third act, leading to its amusing and somewhat obvious end, Hovart’s fearless performance is one to remember, the filmmaker-actor clearly, rightfully, frustrated with what hoops she must pass through in getting her vision made. You can’t help but respect that.” That Moment In
“All this is pleasurably in-jokey for those in on its jokes. But while Horvat leans hard into the film’s metatextuality, she also displays unerring intuition and masterful comic timing in puncturing it. And however clever-clever she’s being, she never forgets to actually be funny too, as in the suicide notes Gillian fakes…” Variety
Release:
I Blame Society premiered on 27th January 2020 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Cranked Up Films released I Blame Society online on February 12th 2021.
Cast and characters:
Gillian Wallace Horvat … Gillian
Keith Poulson … Keith
Chase Williamson … Chase
Lucas Kavner … Producer #1
Morgan Krantz … Producer #2
Alexia Rasmussen Alexia Rasmussen … Stalin
Jennifer Kim … Teresa Nam
Devon Graye … Taylor
Garrett Coffey … Phil
Jonny Mars … Dan
Kerry Barker … Newscaster
Macon Blair … Aaron Robertson
Colleen Donovan … Woman with a dog
Chris Doubek … Fred
Karim Léon … Paramedic
Technical details:
84 minutes
Trailer:
Clip:
