Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival
Nicole Sgarbossa
I Think We’re Alone Now
USA, 2008, 74 min
www.ithinkwerealonenow.com
The year was 1987. Feathered bangs and jean jackets were all the rage, and so was teen pop sensation Tiffany, with her biggest – and arguably only – hit, “I Think We’re Alone Now.” Tiffany’s career faded quickly, but some of her die-hard fans remained by her side.
I Think We’re Alone Now, a documentary by first-time director Sean Donnelly, follows Jeff Turner and Kelly McCormick, two of Tiffany’s obsessed fans. Jeff, who suffers from Asperger’s syndrome and once attempted to give Tiffany (who has a restraining order against him) a samurai sword and five white chrysanthemums. Kelly McCormick, a hermaphrodite, currently living as a woman, is another obsessed fan who believes that she and Tiffany are soul mates – even though they’ve never met.
I Think We’re Alone Now is just as funny and unique as it is moving and thought-provoking. Though it seems unusual and, well, creepy, the film does a beautiful job of showing the loneliness in both Kelly and Jeff’s lives, and their daily struggles as they are faced with a case of unrequited love. Unlike most documentaries, Donnelly chose not to incorporate narration or specialists on the various subjects presented, which ultimately provided an unbiased viewing experience and left the audience to create their own opinions about both Jeff and Kelly. By the end of film you’re sure to find with a newfound sense of compassion for the creeps and stalkers of the world. |
