Shaun turned me on to this gritty independent film that purports to be a documentary* following a burglar in Chicago. The documentary form allows for a low budget approach to filming, and it also lets the filmmakers leave a lot of questions unanswered. It is, perhaps, realistic, but if you're used to straightforward narratives, or even to thrillers where every twist and turn is explained by the end of the film, the ending may leave you somewhat unsatisfied.
For the majority of the film the actor playing the thief (who's also the director of the film), Malik Bader, is right in front of the camera. So does he have the chops to carry a film like this? He's certainly a engaging character. He's likable despite his decidedly anti-social profession. There's some over-acting going on, but it might just be the kind of dramatic pretense you could expect from the sort of personality who would allow documentarians to follow him along on burglaries.
FuzzyCo grade: A-
* Evidently, this film has been shown at some film festivals as though it were a straight documentary, with inevitable backlash when the deception is discovered. It's a shame that the filmmakers have let a gimmick like that cloud the reputation of a fine indie film.
