Meme

directed by:
Sean Mannion
written by:
Sean Mannion
genre:
Drama

"MEME" is a trip. There's really no other way to describe it. If one decided to smoke a little ganja-ganja and watch this flick, I can only imagine what you'd be feeling after the first half hour. Something a little harder? Like say.. LSD? And you'd be off your rocker in no time. However, as they say, it's mostly in the presentation - save a ridiculously deep and strange philosophy that oversees the entire film. The way "MEME" is visualized for the screen is what makes for the trip. But enough on that for now, you want to know what this movie is about? Read on.
Jennifer is your typical young woman attempting to make her way in the world. By typical I mean struggling. Struggling with her business, struggling with her boyfriend, and just doing the best she can. Her boyfriend collects old VHS tapes and when Jennifer comes across a really strange one, she decides to try and figure out who made it. Writing that she decides is perhaps an understatement, more like Jennifer becomes mildly obsessed. I can't say I blame her. It's pretty strange.
Meanwhile, life around her is coming undone at the seams. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend ends, her clients remain to be arse-holes, and she ends up moving in with friends. All the while, still trying to find out who made that random, super strange VHS tape. The plot overview I've written is a simplified version because quite frankly? There is so much more going on here. Sean Mannion's "MEME" essentially deals with life. Curiosity, love Vs infatuation, grief, and that super busy road we call self destruction. In a nutshell? This film is about living and finding your own way - with the added bonus of a weird VHS tape.

I'm not going to lie. There's a lot of tough themes represented within this flick. All of them attempting to coincide with the surrealistic ones. "MEME" tends to flip-flop from sane to insane at breakneck speeds. I'm not going to go into the relationship of the found cassette and the overarching story, but there is a connection. Even if only really revealed during the final act, and even then... kind of loosely played. The main issue I had was that quite frankly... the film gets confusing. Fast and frequently. In the end, the story is easily picked up on - but it's so cluttered and random, it can be a little hard on the old noggin. Like watching a television show with a commercial every few minutes. But not just any commercial, a commercial that somehow kind of relates to the show itself. It's really hard to explain, but it's what I experienced none the less.
Now for the interesting part. The crazy clutter and strange way this is all put together? That's what draws you in and keeps you watching! Like something you don't quite get... but can't stop looking at. The same thing I'm complaining about is actually what makes "MEME" so very cool. It's all very hard to write about, and I imagine others may have a completely different take than me. It's definitely one of those had to be there movies.
At the end of the day? "MEME" is an interesting flick that emphasizes weirdness over drama. Although the cast portrayals were good, the dramatic moments, or what should have been the dramatic moments, were a little under utilized. It's a shame - because the talent is clearly present. Instead we get weird cuts, loads of repeated VHS quality footage, and strange sounds. As I wrote above, they did work to generate interest - but I wonder how much better this movie could have been? If the story took center stage - and not the weirdness. Instead of a zillion alternate versions of previous lines, made to look like old footage - center stage were Jennifer's struggles with life itself. Still... definitely worth a watch no matter how you look at things. A solid three stars.