By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Jennifer Venditti
Country: united_states
Year: 2008
Running time: 84
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0971160/
Michael says: “Jennifer Venditti’s feature debut emerged from a short film she cast called BUGCRUSH. When looking for some high school extras in a small town in Maine, she met Billy, a precocious, geeky, high school outcast and knew instantly he had to be the focus of her next project, a documentary that she titled BILLY THE KID. Jennifer follows Billy through the awkwardness of being a sophomore in high school, first love, a tough family life, and trying to figure out his place in the world, allowing him to express himself through Billy’s halting, introspective monologues, and reality TV style documentation.
“It’s hard not to fall in love with Billy by film’s end. His awkward geekiness, is expressed with adolescent romanticism; his desire to be a superhero to rescue damsels in distress; his protectiveness toward his mother stemming from her abusive relationship with his birth father; the painfully sweet courtship he embarks upon with Heather at her family’s local restaurant. Through it all he struggles with his own emotional maturation, including a past that includes physically traumatic temper tantrums, and teasing from his schoolmates. It is best to enjoy BILLY THE KID at its face value, as a representation of the difficult journey through adolescence that we’ve all endured, and will continue to endure; a sweetly painful coming-of-age story.
“Of course, frequent documentary viewers will be unable to keep from questioning the effect the camera crews had on Billy’s behavior. We ask ourselves if the Billy on screen is one of soul baring or performance. It is to Vendritti’s credit that her film manages to rise above those questions, drawing us in to really feel for Billy and his Mom and the daily struggle of living they face day to day. She captures some wonderful cinematic moments beautifully, like Billy’s solo martial arts sparring in a glade of snow-covered trees that just make this cinema buff’s heart sing. 4 ½ cats”