You or Me
A perfect combination of twisted and wit, director Yana Zinov’s “You or me” gave me a mind-boggling experience in a little as 6-minutes. I like this kind of film where I have to think through beyond the depiction on the screen. The sort of dark twist in the persona of the characters makes me want to explore the director’s and writer’s perception while creating the story. One is because of the creativity in getting out a thought from something specific but not overusing it. And second, because of the convincing mental dilemma that made me question which presence is real.
By now you must be wondering what the plot is all about, well I’ll give you a hint. Imagine a scenario of bumping to your demons, a reflection that makes you see all the wrongs in your life, will it make you feel better about yourself or will it remind of who you are deep inside? The worst part is it will make you question who is your true self, You or Me? I’ll go as far as that folks because there’s a lot of good things to talk about this intriguing masterpiece of Yana Zinov and Drew Schrum.
First stop, a standing ovation and a round of applause for Drew Schrum’s portrayal of our lead character Josh Parker. I have to say that the role was crazy insane, but he killed it in every scene with his remarkable performance. It is also very cool that he is the writer of the story and to portray the character he made was like seeing his imagination come to life. I am actually rooting for an acting recognition for Drew Schrum for this challenging role. He made it look effortless. The last artist whom I have seen effectively played a role like this was Blake Lively in the movie ” A Simple Favor” A little bit of hint there about the film. However, it is an entirely different scenario. And to be able to see a man play a role often portrayed by women was exceptional. I saw a revelation of inner emotional battle that most men do not show on the surface.
Second, I think that there is an immense risk in making this kind of film because not all people will understand the complexities of venturing into the dark issues of mental health and I like and appreciate the courage that Yana Zinov and Drew Schrum took in exhibiting an unfortunate battle that many are constantly struggling to be victorious. Director Yana Zinov manifested the issue of the story in an edgy and uncanny perception wherein I got to understand the struggle that the protagonist Josh Parker is concealing within him. And to think that “You or Me” is her debut film as a director, I am honestly impressed with how she envisions her craft.
To sum it all up, “You or Me” is a film of a revelation of excellence, from overall quality to exquisite directing of Yana Zinov and of course the outstanding story and performance of Drew Schrum. It was intriguing but with a sense of direction. It opened my eyes to a reality that some of us call their everyday life. Indeed, a must-see.
