The Scribbler Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: A woman with dissociative identity disorder attempts to eliminate her alternate personalities as shenanigans ensue.

Review: Mix "Identity" with "The 4th Floor" and add a dash of every superhero movie ever, and you get "The Scribbler." Considering the strange assortment of actors involved, and the bizarre nature of the story, I figured this would be something special. Alas, this is a total mess from start to finish. I mean, maybe if you're a wannabe-edgy teen, this will probably appeal to you, but for everyone else you will be wondering what the fuck is going on. 'K, here's the thing...if you want to depict an incredible world--where fantastic things are simply to be accepted by the audience--you need to actually provide a reason for the audience to suspend their disbelief! You can't also attempt to ground the story in a realistic setting and expect things to still make sense. For example, 99.99% of people, upon seeing a levitating man, are not going to just brush that shit off as business as usual.

So we've got a topless, punker Katie Cassidy, a non-porn version (unfortunately) of Sasha Grey, Raj, that dude who beat up J-Lo one time, a noir-styled Eliza Dushku, some naked chick running around while covered in blood, the poor man's version of Stephen Amell, Buffy's sister, and Gina Gershon. That's an interesting array of characters, right? Sadly, the cast is the best thing going for the film as a whole. I don't even know how to explain the story. Some crazy chick, named Suki, with a bunch of multiple personalities is given a device that eliminates said personalities. However, this process parallels with an apartment complex full of crazy chicks that keep committing suicide. Suki thinks she's killing everyone, because one of her personalities, the scribbler, has...ughh...powers. I love how casually people gain superhuman abilities here--with literally the push of a button. Then there is a talking dog and elevator because why not? That personality device merges with the wall for no reason too which I love because making sense is for pussies! We come to learn that another crazy chick with powers is killing all the residents and only the scribbler can save the day! If this were done in a comical way I might overlook a lot, but they were going for next level pretentiousness instead. I don't forgive that. At the end, cops that have been interrogating Suki all movie come to realize her zany story is true as she flies away on them. Oh for fuck's sake. And I want to cut them slack so badly for trying to tackle a lot of action on a limited budget, but everything is so painful to watch.

There are redeeming qualities throughout like the music and grimy style. I did like the cast and their unusual presentation, but most have little background to go on nor are their eccentricities explored meaningfully. If only the story were put together coherently. While there are plenty of moments of shoddy editing, the script itself is the problem. There is little effort to explain why things are happening and why no one reacts properly to these events. This film is based on a comic...so maybe that goes into better detail? Regardless, I'd pass on this one. "The Scribbler" is well below average, but the actors and ambitious nature of the filmmakers compensate greatly to boost the rating up to average. Still, I can picture others appreciating the minimalism to the storytelling and there is certainly cult following potential here.

Notable Moment: During the final "battle." I can appreciate the difficulty in trying to make an epic fight on a shoestring budget, but the editing was utterly horrendous; you can hardly tell what's happening.

Final Rating: 5/10