Praxis

By: Clinton H.

By: DJ

This film is very difficult to follow. There's a multitude of repeat scenes and I'm not sure, but the old man that waves and sits in a chair must be Proteus, even though the main character is confused by him. And I agree with another reviewer, the boxing bag scene is way too long. I have been accused of liking every film I watch, but let me tell you, this isn't one of them.

By: Gaelan

The film is an exercise in tediium. If you took a lude before watching it, you may think it just boring.

There are no real performances, as the script did not require any. The 'story' could have been as easily told with a series of postcards shown as a slide show... or, rather, a much shorter slide show than it is now. Cannot really blame the actors. There is nothing here for them to work with.

The most interesting scene in the film is Andrew Roth's duel with the heavy bag - a fact the director seemed to acknowledge by spending an excessive amount of time on it, despite that it had nothing to contribute to the 'story'.

If it was intended to be an experimental treatment... the patient died.

By: Amos Lassen

"Praxis"

Peeling Away the Layers

Amos Lassen

Alec Pacheco's debut film "Praxis" (Ariztical) is a very difficult film to put into a category. It is anything but a typical film. It is full of unspoken connections and lots of visual images which allow the viewer to arrive at his own conclusions. It is a story that is told visually and dialog is unnecessary.
A young writer, Brian (Tom Macy), has a mental breakdown and he is to come to terms with who he is and where he fits. The movie is all about being who you want to be and being where you want. Brian struggles to bring about his true self and is helped by Joe (Andrew Roth) and a woman (Regina Aquino) who is quite elusive. Getting to his own core for Brian means that he must peel away all of the layers of his being and he must fight fear and a society that is indifferent.
If you are familiar with the myth of Proteus then this film will have a great deal of meaning for you although it is not necessary for you to have that knowledge. One cannot help but see the themes of existentialism, sexual identity and spirituality. Watching this film will cause you to want to be more in touch with your true self and watching Brian comes to terms with who he is can act as a guide to do so. The acting is amazing and what we get is one of those films that makes us think and that, in itself, makes this an important film.