Out Takes

FOUR EYED MONSTERS

D: Arin Crumley, Susan Buice; with Buice, Crumley, Marc Scrivo, Brad Calcaterra, Margret Echeverria

Narrative Feature Emerging Visions

Four Eyed Monsters attempts an original slant on something we all know and, well, love: the gritty, beautiful, gut-wrenching beast that is a relationship. Directors/stars Crumley and Buice combine their filmmaking styles into a gorgeous new one when their two young characters meet, merge into the titular creature, and observe what it does (which – evidently – is make a film about itself). Yet with any successful romantic comedy, we must fall in love with our lovers onscreen as they fall in love with each other. Sadly, Four Eyed Monsters doesn't quite achieve this, due to hyperactive overstylizing and tedious confessionals from the characters (the odd plot point of fearing STDs, for example) which – while very real – are pointless to the story. An impressive first attempt, though: Crumley and Buice have talent that will only get better with time.