If you're a regular visitor to the site, then you probably know my stance on the indie feature film. I have a lot of respect for the indie filmmaker and I always say that if you make your film simply for you and no one else, you're almost certain to be noticed. Take a chance, don't listen to anyone and make the film that you want to make for yourself. Pretty selfish, I know - but oddly enough, almost always works out to be pretty effective as well. Enter Clifton Childree, a mysterious man who's made a mysterious film entitled The Flew. Let me take a step back for a moment and elaborate on the word "made" here. When I say made, I mean that Childree has written, produced, directed, photographed, animated, edited, starred in and scored his own film. Not only has he crowned himself 6+ times over, but he's made an authentically vintage looking silent film, shot it on 16mm B&W film stock and broken just about every rule in the filmmaker's handbook. Y'know what? He's made a pretty decent fucking film in the process - definitely time well spent.

To say that The Flew defies a logical description would be an understatement like no other. Hell, I like to think of myself as a pretty intelligent guy and I even had a hard time understanding parts of the flick! Here in lies the challenge though, and part of the brilliance of the film itself. I could regurgitate the description on back of the DVD cover, but that just wouldn't be fair. I'm going to do my best to put forth a description, and to not make the flick sound stupid. And while The Flew may not be for everyone, I'll lay down the groundwork for exactly who might just be interested in checking it out in just a bit. In the mean time I'm going to just have to request that you take my word for it and just leave it at that.

Otto is part of a vintage and nearly broken down carnival-shooting gallery (called The Flew because it's a Pharmacy scene). Played by a real live person (Childree himself), Otto is surrounded by ever changing parts and the confusion of why he's forced to perform certain acts or why his world is constantly moving around him (he is PART of the attraction after all). In any event, carnival patrons line up one by one to take aim for only ten-cents a pop, all the while Otto is forced to perform his duty. During down time, Otto spends his time doing the things that he feels fit, whether it be fix portions of the attraction or sneaking the occasional peek outside his window to view other elements of the carnival that surround him. This includes The Wooden Embalmer, a haunted dark ride, and Otto's primary point of interest from his limited window view.

I think I was struck first and foremost by the obvious amount of love and care that went into the making of The Flew. This type of film is not made by mistake, it's evident that a lot of heart went into the films production, by someone who could quite possibly love the art of film even more than I do. As I stated earlier, The Flew was shot on 16mm B&W film stock, and quite eerily, has the look of a vintage silent film. From the actors' dress and mannerisms, to the title cards and sets - this could have been a film made 70+ years ago. Add to this, the films unique performances, odd story and execution, effective (if not a bit over used) stop-motion animation and one-man band approach, all of these elements stand to really fill a recipe for The Flew's success.

Look, I'm gonna say this in the simplest terms imaginable. The Flew is most certainly not going to be a film for everyone. It's not horror, does not follow a familiar narrative and is most certainly NOT user friendly. And to be honest, the film is pretty much un-classifiable. Blockbuster be dammned, you'll never know which shelf to stick this flick on! The Flew is a challenging and at times tedious exercise that should, and most likely will find an appreciative audience. Cinematically stunning, Childree shows us that as a film freak, he truly does deserve to pick up that camera of his to tell us what he has to say. It's no Eraserhead, but it's pretty damn close, and I can honestly say without a doubt that Childree is destined to move onto bigger and better things - mark my words.

Audio and video quality serves the feature quite well. There is no dialogue, but there is plenty of effective carnival type music and sound effects (all put together by Childree as well). Audio remains clear, it's an impressive sound mix. Picture quality serves its purpose. When taken into consideration the film stock used and vibe the filmmaker intends to get across, the B&W image is quite effective (clean when it has to be and dirty when it wants to be as well).

Extras include a 25-minute feature entitled To and Fro. Since The Flew is pretty much a one man show, the 25-minute clip fest is really just compiled raw footage of Childree at work, running "to and fro" the camera ro make his film and then back in frame to act, pretty cool. Also worth mentioning is the inventive menu design along with the vomit bag included in the DVD case complete with the films tag line printed on it "Do you feel sick?" along with a funny frequently axed questions list.

What is there to say that hasn't been said already. The Flew is by no means perfect and it's certainly not going to appeal to the masses, but it is a very impressive indie feature designed to challenge and entertain those brave enough to step forward. If you're feeling the part, then head on over to www.theflew.com for more info (you can pick up a copy of the DVD for $15 + $2 shipping), you might just be glad that you did.