directed by:
Jeffrey Tipton written by: Jeffrey Tipton genre: Drama |
Some spoilers ahead, be warned. A lot of folks will tell you that you need to be in church to be religious, but those who really get it will tell you that a genuinely strong faith can exist in a room with only the good book, a cross made out of an old television mount bracket kit and a Jesus candle - for thine is the kingdom, forever and ever, amen. That being said, "It's not about what Jesus would do, it's about what James is gonna do," in this particular film. Writer/Director Jeffrey Tipton has some interesting ideas on how to present this story onscreen. You'll bounce around several points of the timeline before you're even ten minutes in; you'll see a few bizarre visual effects that you probably wouldn't expect in a movie like this, a whole bunch of swear words and conversations about shooting blanks & nuts (thanks Pedro!) – and it won't take ya long before you understand that "My Choice" is very likely going to say something much more different than you were assuming it would when you first met its devout main character.
"Nice guys don't finish last – they don't finish at all" – from the proverbs of Pedro, our new hero. James, on his own, is quite clearly lost when it comes to the concept of dating in an online world, but when partnered with an experienced dick-slinger like his work friend Pedro, he's at least got a chance. We see parallels between the journey James is on and the life that Nadine & Kim are leading. It's clear that it's only going to be a matter of time before their lives intersect, and we'll see if James can hold his own in the dating realm without his wingman to guide him. Nadine's into it – they've both swiped the right way – but will the fear of religious purgatory stop James from closing on this deal, or will he give it a shot & see if love is in the cards for him after all? Will he find the courage to at least dip the tip? Stay tuned! So look… I'm going to be real with ya; the acting is a bit on the stiff side here, pun intended, yes, but true all the same. What makes "My Choice" pretty interesting is that even despite a bit of rigidity in that regard, we still end up really liking these characters overall. For as nerdy as James is, we enjoy that nerdiness. For as crass as Pedro is, we can't help but love his advice whilst simultaneously shuddering at how cringe the dude can be at the same time. For as checked-out as Nadine seems to be, we're still hoping that she somehow ends up with nerdy James, who's doing his level best to follow the ultra-misogynistic advice of Pedro…you see what a tangled web that Tipton is weaving here? There's an awkwardness to it all, but it's a really oddly intentional awkwardness that seems to somehow work in favour of "My Choice" overall. A quick conversation with Kim – probably my favourite character, played by Cindy Huynh – and you'll get a much better sense of how Tipton genuinely feels about religion. Watching James performing live in front of Sacred Grounds coffee shop does a lot to reinforce the strangeness of faith when it's not kept in check by reality. Having Pedro continually acting as the devil on James' shoulder also gives you the other clues you need to know that "My Choice" is based on religion in many ways, but is very far from the kind of faith-based film full of morals you probably thought you were in-store for as this all began. How about scenes spliced in of other religious 'concert' footage that looks like it was stripped right out of an old Jim Jones retreat? Honestly, I really liked how Jeffrey framed that against the creepiness of the new-age tantric yoga stretching sessions and its weirdo leader that Nadine seems so into as well. Religion might get a bad rap for being strange at times - because it is – but lest we forget, strangeness is out there & exists in this world as far as the eye can see – and it's certainly not limited to the church's walls. Pastor John makes for a very interesting character – I really liked the dialogue that Tipton gave him, and how it seems so…Jesus…antiquated? Judgmental? Misguided? It's one of those things where you have to wonder about what side of the mirror you're standing on. To me, I listen to Pastor John speak, and I'm fairly convinced it's folks like him who are constantly doling out advice once written on stone tablets that play a significant role in what's wrong with this world we're living in today. He and his kind are a true hindrance to our evolution – that's how I see it. Other folks though, the more religiously-based type of people out there, might just hear his words and see Pastor John as the real hero of "My Choice," despite all the hints that Tipton has dropped along the way that should cue them all into the opposite.
"My Choice" starts to really bare its teeth around the halfway mark, where the movie will take on a very real conversation about abortion and highlights the severe disconnect between how people on both sides of the faith-based fence see this particular issue. James comes at the conversation from such an emotionally-blind standpoint that is based on some concept of how the afterlife & God will judge him, while Nadine does her best to explain how Earth is the "place that actually matters," and that a mistake in a relationship that barely lasted three weeks maybe probably (really shouldn't) dictate the rest of her whole damn life. "My Choice" becomes a reminder that we're never going to see eye to eye on this subject, largely because we're not approaching the argument from an equal playing field. If you're religious, no one out there can convince you that your God doesn't have the right answers or knows the right path to take - because those who don't believe in Him can't show you that to be the truth – which is the very same logic people outside of religion argue is what makes people non-believers. None of it's real; it's all madness, and it's about how you use that imaginary element to support your side of a non-productive conversation that has been raging on for much longer than you or I have been alive. Before the first hour is up, you'll wonder just how dark this film is going to get. What appeared to be a kind of Comedy to start with, albeit awkward, is noticeably taking a horrific turn into the dangers of true fundamentalism and commitment to beliefs without questioning or understanding. To me, that's where "My Choice" seems to go from a fairly ordinary idea into something much more – and I think that it'll actually expand the appeal & reach of this film overall. The devoutly religious are undoubtedly going to be somewhat furious with how Tipton's brush paints them, but sorry not sorry, he's making valid points if you're paying close attention to what he's communicating through this movie. Religion & its ideals are just a c*nt hair away from crazy, and "My Choice" goes on to show you how true that really is. You'll wonder if you're not about to end up in some kind of extreme Horror movie as you creep past that halfway mark – but the reality is, for far too many folks out there, this IS a Horror movie that has played out in real life - more often than our polite society would care to admit. "My Choice" gets scary, but the reason that it gets scary is because we KNOW the concept this film works with - is very possible. I maintain, acting-wise that this film shows vicious limitations, but there's a realness to that as well, which makes it seem like these characters could easily be people that you know. There are some things that I don't know that "My Choice" needed, like its use of random effects every so often when the majority of the film doesn't choose to use them… It's the kind of thing you end up feeling that is a little non-committal visually. When it comes to the more action-intense scenes and violence we see, so much work needs to be done in order to make that stuff realistic that it's impossible to reconcile – but we do get the implications, point & purpose of those scenes, which in today's world, can still be enough. Little details beyond more broad concepts, like say, the officer's outfit, for example, lack a lot of what we need as viewers to believe in what we see, and threaten to break our suspension of disbelief much in the same way that the fight scenes do. I look at it this way – when so much effort is being put into the rest, the last thing you want is to overlook the tinier details – a small hole or two can easily sink an entire ship if you're not careful, know what I mean? It's about avoiding the avoidable, really…like learning about Kim's fiancée at the same time her best friend does. That seems like a bit of a stretch that is hard for us to square as we watch, given that she and Nadine seem so close throughout the entire film and that they live together. As it stands here in "My Choice," as I said, we get what he's going for, and honestly, today's less scrutinous viewership will accept quite a bit. At least, it's fair to say that we have an idea of what it's going for – and by the very final scenes, you'll honestly wonder if you had any grip at all on what "My Choice" is about or if it's righteously twisted in ways that we could have never seen coming in order to make the strangest case for being pro-life? To me, especially in the realm of independent filmmaking and everyone having different levels of access to equipment & effects & such, I'm always on the lookout for potential and great ideas more than the hard technical details. Ultimately, both are required if you're looking to break into the mainstream, but you get there by taking steps like what you see in "My Choice" and adding to your natural skillset with adjustments as you go forward. Right now, I feel confident in giving "My Choice" a solid three and a half stars out of five. Personally, I love the direction that the storyline takes, even if I felt like it creates a bit of an imbalance in the film overall – as in, it comes a hell of a long way from where it starts, and I'm not as confident that everyone out there will be able to hang with such a switch. The right ideas are here, and there's such a strong point of view from Tipton's writing that you can't help but admire the courage it would take to make a movie like "My Choice" – he deserves a lot of credit, and I would definitely love to see more from him. |
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