ROGUE CINEMA: The only thing I really knew about Generation Why before hitting start on the DVD is that it had a pretty interesting title. As someone still considered relatively young at this point, going on twenty five in a few short months, the term Generation Y is one that I'm relatively familiar with. Do I subscribe to it? Not particularly, who likes being placed in any kind of category? Still, with that title I kind of expected a story for characters of my generation and yet I was still surprised to find a film that actually spoke to me on such a personal level. It is not a film based around simple issues, nor does it really offer a lot of answers to these serious issues that are conflicting young people. I think what really struck me about the movie was simply that I am not alone. Although there are a lot of issues in the film that do not related to my struggle (I supported my family when I first started work, not the other way around) I can still understand the direction that it comes from. I understand these things such as a fear of responsibility and of getting older, the fear of my own laziness and the feeling of being trapped without any kind of aim. Director/Writer Brendan Prost tackles all of these issues head first with a fearlessness that allows him to take these issues and make them into something so huge that it borders on apocalyptic. Sound a little over the top? Well it doesn't play off like that, but you'll have to check it out to understand what I'm talking about. Three best friends from Alberta Canada are feeling a bit stuck in their lives. Mike (Mike Thorn) works at a fast food joint called Superfry, Cody (Cody Field) spends his days withering away at college unsure of what he wants to do and John (John Delahunt) works at an FYE-style music store that he absolutely hates. All three friends are bored, disgruntled and simply depressed with their positions in life. John has given up on his band as it no longer seems relevant or useful since he knows he'll never be a rock star. So after a night out on the town where the boys visit a party at one of their friend's house it becomes apparent that all of their old highschool friends are stuck in the same exact positions that they are. When work doesn't provide a chance to save any kind of money and school just seems like a waste when you don't know what you want to even become; where does one go? When all actions seem wasted, the answer seems simple: inaction. John proposes to the group that maybe they should all three take some time off, quit their jobs and drop out of school in order to sharpen their minds and try to figure out just WHAT it is that they want to do. What will bring them happiness. However, when this idea starts to catch on, will it have adverse reactions around town? I actually brought up the general synopsis of Generation Why to my friend shortly after watching it, as it kind of fit into our discussion of where exactly we are in our lives. When I told him it was basically about a group of young people who just aren't sure where their lives are meant to go and his response was “sounds like me”. Brendan Prost actually taps into a very interesting topic in terms of the current position many young people find themselves in. I've been these characters and sometimes I AM them. I've worked in the mall, I've had to deal with the awful customers. It's a situation that we all hate and it feels good to know you're not alone. I think the party scene is really great in showing this hopelessness that these young people feel. In the sequence when the guys arrive at this first party, they go around having discussions with all of their friends and each conversation is cut so that it seems that every character is essentially answering the others questions. The sequence is beautifully cut together and shows the drifting nature of everyone there. No one knows exactly what goals are and simply name a bizarre list of jobs they actually hope that they can somehow find themselves in. Despite their all being well past their childhood years yet they still list things like “fighting crime” amidst their possible future goals. They are like children listing the things they'll get to do when they “grow up”, and I know I've known quite a few people like this in real life myself. It's absolutely a beautiful looking film for sure. With a mix of varying photography styles, though it seems most content to remain that free-feeling hand held style for the most part. Still, it finds some really great visuals throughout, including an iconic shot in a vacant parking lot with our three leading men sitting down while the sun sets in the background. The photography really fits the mood of the film, showing off Canada during a beautiful winter. Along with the great visuals the soundtrack is exactly on point, mixing in a lot of contemporary pop-rock as well as some really outstanding instrumental tunes throughout. The opening shots actually best illustrate all of this as the music pours out and we see this chilly Canadian morning. Keeping with the talk of technical merit I might as well mention the dialogue; which is quite unusual. Seemingly inspired by the works of Richard Linklater, the dialogue is both heavy in terms of the assortment of adjectives used throughout as well as its deep philosophical roots. There are so many great little monologs found here that almost every character gets their chance to shine. This isn't to say that it doesn't maybe get a little too wordy at times, I think there's an argument that could be made to say that it does, but by and large I wasn't bothered by it. Perhaps because I'm such a big fan of Waking Life and Slacker. The film isn't perfect and does suffer from a few issues. The pacing of it can be a bit slow to build and could maybe be best served to cut off a few minutes from the middle section of it. Clocking in at nearly two hours, it does tend to match the epic qualities that the final minutes of it makes it seem but I think at ninety minutes it still could have remained as equally powerful. Some of the performers in the cast are obviously new to the form and you can of course expect some of that, but if you're familiar with Independent film it shouldn't be all that bothersome. Still, with these things stated I still fully recommend this movie. It's entertaining and yet it puts its finger right on the pulse of young North America. I hope that more people maybe get a chance to check this out sometime soon. You can read more about it at their official site: http://www.generationwhythefilm.com, so get to it! -Josh Samford from Rogue Cinema

THE INDEPENDENT CRITIC: "You have to be out in the world a while before you realize it's not the place you want to be." Who are you? What do you want to do with your life? Ideas? Anyone? Doesn't it seem like we all go through this journey somewhere between those godawful confusing adolescent years and those even more godawful confusing young adult years? We graduate from high school, we go to college or we don't. Sometimes, we drift. Sometimes, we work. Sometimes, we drink. Heavily. Sometimes, we become parents and our life plans are put on hold. Forever. Sometimes, we never figure out who we are or what we want to do with our lives and so we go through the motions until, hopefully, we find something or someone worth clinging to. Then, somewhere down the road, we let go and start the cycle all over again. Sounds dreadful, eh? Sounds like life. "Generation Why," written and directed by Canadian guerilla filmmaker Brendan Prost, follows a group of disenfranchised recent high school grads as they try to figure out who they are and what they want to do with themselves. In the process, they start a campaign of apathy and detachment among their Calgary counterparts. Suddenly, what began as an effort to find themselves becomes a crippling blow to area retailers, restaurants and even academic institutions. It's only when a tragic accident strikes that everything begins to slowly return back to normal. But, are the lessons really learned? Or is the cycle doomed to repeat itself? While there are undeniable challenges resulting from the film's modest budget, a film such as "Generation Why" should be filmed guerilla style, an indication of the film's budget being built out of a life savings and constructed utilizing whatever equipment and services were donated and/or inexpensively obtained. "Generation Why" feels like an old school 70's vinyl record that you sit around listening to with your friends late at night in your bedroom. Remember how everyone went all googly-eyed when acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh took his million dollar budget and hired completely inexperienced actors to make "Bubble?" This is exactly what guerilla and indie filmmakers are doing everyday on budgets far below a seven digit flick. In fact, if the U.S. hadn't just experienced the box-office miracle of "Paranormal Activity," a $15,000 film, becoming the biggest box-office success ever in terms of pure profit in the United States, it would be hard to imagine a film such as "Generation Why," a film put together for approximately $7,000. It all starts with a decent script, and Prost has put together a script that will undoubtedly resonate with twentysomethings stumbling around in a daze of uncertainty even if the path has already been defined. Prost nicely blends dry, witty humor with light drama and rather serious social insights into a heartfelt, intelligent story devoid of unnecessary dialogue or distracting special effects. "Generation Why" largely centers around a core three individuals, John (John Delahunt), Mike (Mike Thorn) and Cody (Cody Field), the three young men whose disenchantment largely starts the wave of apathy among the young adults in Calgary. While these three individuals may largely be the trigger for the way this story unfolds, Prost wisely creates a communal feeling in the film that greatly enhances the idea that this wave of disenfranchisement has truly impacted the entire community. While Prost utilizes a largely novice cast, he's cast his film solidly with the leading trio having a nice chemistry and being convincing in their dilemma once they realize that their exercise in self-improvement has gone awry. Among the supporting players, Karen Lewin offers a particularly winning performance as Samantha, while Gerry Prost and Chris Patrick Carolan are also strong in supporting roles. Original music from Our Hearts Are Big is stellar and nicely complements the film's goings on, while Prost's cinematography is surprisingly strong given the film's limited financing. It should be acknowledged, however, that those unaccustomed to guerilla filmmaking will need to adjust to the occasional lighting issues, especially when Prost filmed with the sun directly in the background. Additionally, a few sound mix issues are inevitable in low-budget films and "Generation Why" is no exception. As should be expected from any film featuring largely novice actors, some of the acting is a touch hit-and-miss as occasionally dramatic lines are over-emphasized and there were a few scenes that felt unnecessarily posed for dramatic impact. Modest quibbles aside, "Generation Why" is a solid example of low-budget, guerilla filmmaking with a strong script from Brendan Prost and a cast and crew who clearly get what Prost is trying to accomplish with the film. "Generation Why" should enjoy a healthy life on the underground film festival circuit. For more information on "Generation Why," visit the film's website. © Written by Richard Propes The Independent Critic

Grassroots, guerilla filmmaking in the purest sense. Everyone involved in the project is untrained, the crew is sparse, the equipment is minimal, and all the resources are coming from the filmmaker’s college savings. This is honest, raw storytelling. We don’t pretend to impress with a glossy perfect production, but we think the writing, the performances, and the importance of the material will be as strong as any million dollar blockbuster.

This movie has been made with affection for the the friends, co-workers, and peers of the filmmakers, and anyone who understands the unpleasant feeling of not knowing what your future holds. This population of late teenagers, early 20somethings is a diverse group, but we all seem to be bonded together by our common uncertainty, by a struggle that never seems to end.

What career to pursue, where to go to school, to go to school at all, where to work, to work at all, to save or spend, to travel or stay put, to change or stay the same, to conform or to remain unique. How to balance all of these things. We’ve all dealt with these issues, or are still dealing with it, and now there’s a movie about it.