Clean, Shaven (1995)

Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Peter Winter is a young schizophrenic who is desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive family. He attempts to function in a world that, for him, is filled with strange voices, electrical noise, disconcerting images, and jarringly sudden emotional shifts.I do not believe this is a very well-known film. I say this because despite it being released by the prestigious Criterion Collection, it was not a title I was familiar with. And I like to think I know movies. (maybe this is naiveté.) Although this went under the radar, I think it deserves a look by anyone who is interested in mental illness, especially as depicted on film. This is not sappy, or starring Sean Penn, or anything we might expect from Hollywood. this is a serious attempt to show the problems the mentally ill face... and it does not leave room for too much happiness.

i had to watch this for school picked it from the Criterion Collection. i only picked it because it was a newer film. enjoyed it a lot but i wouldn't have wanted to see it just off the trailer. it was like nothing I've seen before, i mean as an adult movie goer. mostly because its an old school drama, something i would have never seen as a kid. i love that there isn't a ton of dialogue to many films rely to much on this. it leaves something to the imagination films today just give you everything with a small twist which is a let down. that is if you don't see is coming. i would recommend if you really want to see something different from today's gibberish.

Representing schizophrenia on film is almost impossible. As is any mental illness. It's the job of the actors and directors to capture the essence of the disease. Kerrigan gives us one of the greatest studies in mental illness. He manages to dispel the myths of such diseases, by representing the protagonist as dangerous, but no more so than a "sane" person. Peter causes the most harm to himself, as his paranoia inspires acts of self- mutilation. Kerrigan takes a generic, cop looking for killer plot, but gradually subverts the genre. The sound design is also incredible, creating a confused and hectic mind, like a radio trying to tune in. It isn't your average film, and so requires patience and an open mind.

In my personal opinion (less than an hour after first watching it), I have determined that I have just finished another of many film tasks; to find something unique and striking, and discover a new perspective on a certain level. But this 'something' is also extremely well made, and deep; it's also incredibly sad, and visually grotesque (a few scenes made me recoil, a rare enough occurrence for a man who owns at least 300 DVDs, and has seen countless films with more gore, and even more gratuitous carnage). It is also one of the very best films I have ever seen.The film is about a man named Peter Winter (played by Peter Greene - if you don't know who he is, slap yourself), whom was recently released from a mental hospital for reasons unspecified. From then on he makes a journey of sorts to find his daughter, Nicole. Of course, if the film was merely about a sappy kind of father/child reunion, I would have stopped watching mid-way and called it a night, but there is a very huge problem with Peter. He is a schizophrenic, a man whose brain functions almost like a car radio, tuning in signals, noises, and bizarre voices, all displayed aurally in juxtaposition to the visuals (the effectiveness of this audio technique is so disturbing and enthralling that even David Lynch's personal sound man could not better it's precision). This not A Beautiful Mind. There is no easy way out, and there is no solution for his problem, and the film makes it a point to show you why he acts the way he does. After a while, the effect becomes so oddly familiar, that when, in one scene, Peter's actions are separated from this horrifying noise, we chillingly see the reality of his situation. The only way Peter can (temporarily) relieve himself of this horror is best left for you to find out. If you have a weak constitution, or stomach lining, then consider this a film to avoid, to dread. One scene is of such stunning depravity that it may very well make you leave the room in a state of utter shock.Seemingly, in a decade which was known for being upbeat (both to it's credit and sizable detriment), this little puppy dropped out of the sky in 1993 and stunned whatever few people were fortunate enough to hear it or watch it. I implore you, be one of those people.