I Don't Know Who You Are

I FORGOT TO ADD THAT ONE OF THE FACTORS THAT MAKES THIS FILM SO SPECIAL & POIGNANT IS THAT DIRECTOR MH MURRAY BASED IT ON HIS OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF BEING SEXUALLY ASSAULTED. THIS BRAVE ADMISSION SHOULD HELP OTHER RAPE SURVIVORS TO BE OPEN ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES. IN FACT, PERHAPS IT IS DIRECTOR MURRAY'S WILLINGNESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS EXPERIENCE IS WHAT GIVES THIS FILM SUCH A DOCUMENTARY-STYLE FEELING TO IT. AND THE MURKINESS OF DIMITRY LOPATIN'S CINEMATOGRAPHY GIVES YOU A REAL SENSE OF THE HORRORS THAT ARE LURKING AROUND US ALL THE TIME. OF COURSE, THIS FILM WOULDN'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT MARK CLEMMON'S DEPICTION OF BENJAMIN'S WIDE RANGE OF EMOTIONS- WHETHER IT'S IN THE SCENES WHERE WE SEE BENJAMIN'S INCREASING LEVEL OF FRUSTRATION & ANXIETY OR IN THE OBVIOUS LOVE THAT HE EXPRESSES TOWARDS HIS PARENTS (GRACE E MC DONALD & RADCLIFFE GOLDBOURNE) IN THEIR TELEPHONE SCENE. AND THE GENUINE SENSE OF CONCERN FOR BENJAMIN THAT WE SEE EXPRESSED BY ANTHONY DIAZ (MALCOLM) & NAT MANUEL (ARIEL) ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS FILM'S SUCCESS.

WHILE I WAS WATCHING THIS WONDERFUL FILM, I THOUGHT OF A SCENE FROM THE FILM, "DESPERATE CHARACTERS," IN WHICH KENNETH MARS' CHARACTER TELLS HIS WIFE (PLAYED BY SHIRLEY MACLAINE) THAT A FRIEND OF HIS QUOTED HENRY DAVID THOREAU 'S FAMOUS LINE ABOUT HOW MOST PEOPLE LIVE LIVES OF QUIET DESPERATION, & HE TELLS HER THAT HE RESPONDED BY ASKING HIS FRIEND IF THOUGHT HIS LIFE WAS DESPERATELY QUIET. WELL, IN THIS FILM, WE SEE SOMEONE WHO REALLY IS LIVING A QUIETLY DESPERATE LIFE & ALSO SEE HOW HIS LIFE IS SHATTERED BY ONE HORRIBLE INCIDENT & HOW IT BECOMES EVEN MORE SHATTERED BY HIS INABILITY TO AFFORD THE MEDICATIONS TO KEEP HIS LIFE FROM BEING DESTROYED. BENJAMIN'S DESPERATION REACHES ITS PEAK WHEN THE PHARMACIST'S INSISTENCE THAT HE CAN'T HELP HIM CAUSES BENJAMIN TO TRY TO STEAL THE MEDICATION & THE SECURITY GUARD THROWS HIM OUT OF THE PHARMACY.. THE SADDEST PART OF ALL OF THIS IS THAT THERE ISN'T ANYTHING THAT THe PHARMACIST ORTHE GUARD CAN DO TO HELP BENJAMIN.