AKA (2002)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

AKA is writer/director Duncan Roy's thought-provoking memoir of his own youth. He escaped from a brutal, sexually abusive working-class household by assuming the identity of a young aristocrat and became famous - or notorious, rather - in the process.Mr. Roy's movie is brilliantly written, directed, and cast. Matthew Leitch is perfect as Dean, the handsome, sweet, innocently seductive young man who desperately wants a better -- or, to be more precise, another -- life. His intelligence, looks, charm, and manner make people want to believe he is who he says. All the actors are notable and entertaining. Two are exceptional: Diana Quick as the prickly patrician Lady Gryffoyn, whose son Dean impersonates; and George Asprey as the striking, urbane, gay aristocrat who takes Dean under his wing. Heir to the Asprey fortune in real life, he was born for the part.Aside from the fascinating story, imaginative photography done solely with available light, and perfect musical support, AKA is a scathing portrayal of the English class system, where aristocrats rely on certain cues (accent, pronunciation, name, manners, schooling, demeanor) to identify one another and preserve their exclusivity. Dean lives as 'one of them' successfully and happily for over a year. After which he says, quite truthfully (if Mr. Roy's portrait of Alexander Gryffoyn is in any way accurate in its mean-spirited snobbery), that he was a better Lord Gryffoyn than the real one could ever be. Mr. Roy also depicts a working class equally complicit in maintaining 'place' and limited social mobility.After watching the single screen version, the three-screen triptych version, as it was released theatrically, is an interesting complement which adds dimension to the story. Mr. Roy's commentary track is illuminating politically, and enlightening cinematically. His film is a very personal work of art. The entire ensemble is outstanding, but the talent and beauty of Matthew Leitch form the solid core on which the story rests.

How did I miss this 2002 film? Never even heard of it before watching it on Sundance the other day. Quite fascinating. Excellent acting by all. A troubling set of themes in this film, including the old stand-by--incest/rape--as well as class & economic cleavage and, to spice things up, some sexual episodes of interest! Surprisingly well filmed and directed. An absolute sleeper this unusual film! Can't wait to read what reviewers thought of it. ***(And now the most ridiculous requirement from Internet Movie Database that one must fill in 10 lines of comments, so here I must add filler, and more filler, and even more filler until--aha!--the minimum number of line has been reached.)

I was so looking forward to seeing this at the film festival in Sydney. I left the theater, like many others, before the end credits because I couldn't sit through it any longer. It was badly shot, the sound sucks, and the acting was worse than an episode of The Love Boat. Now I know why this film hasn't been able to find an American distribution company to release it in the United States. This screams of a low budget high school production.

I loved this film. I just loved it. I was so amazed by the split screen. I saw it at Sundance and I was blown away. I very rarely cry during a movie but I sat there in the dark and cried. It was so moving and beautiful. Of course it reminded me of other stuff but I just felt that due to the split screen device I left the movie having had a unique experience. I read these other reviews and wondered if we had all seen the same thing. The bad ones are totally inacurate. I urge you to go and see this film and make up your own mind.