Writer-director Zeshaan Younus challenges us with I’ve Seen All I Need to See, his atmospheric meditation on grief, loss, and guilt. Parker (Renee Gagner) is an actor in Los Angeles who returns to her hometown to look into what happened that resulted in the violent death of her sister, Indiana (Rosie McDonald). While there is not much provided in the way of expository detail, it is clear that Indiana was involved with shady people doing bad things. Parker must push through her ennui to try to find out what happened.
The most animated segment of the film features Parker drinking with doom metal “cookie monster” band Civerous playing in a bar. She encounters a bearded man who looks like the one we’ve seen earlier in a scene with Indiana. Later on, she is confronted by the man who awakens her in bed and commands her to leave town.
Renee Gagner portrays Parker in I’ve Seen All I Need to See, directed by Zeshaan Younus.
“…Parker returns to her hometown to solve the violent death of her sister…”
As she takes this grim journey, Parker spirals into the abyss, circling the drain as she fails to find her equilibrium. I’ve Seen All I Need to See is more of a Monet painting than it is a murder mystery. Younus delivers impressions rather than cause/effect action. In fact, the moody presentation of close-ups while characters stare pensively into the distance is overdone. The point is made well before the viewer gets antsy about the lack of forward motion.
In keeping with this motif, there are also long, long Lynchian sections of scenes so dark they are nearly impossible to see, with accompanying rumbling dark sonic undertones. We never learn much about these characters beyond what we see and hear, as we are invited along on Parker’s dangerous flirtation with the underworld. Her rage and grief, combined with the fact that she hadn’t been close to Indiana for some time, push her to the edge.
Filmically, in addition to the under-lit cinematography (something we’ve noted happening as a trend in Indie film lately), the feature is shot in old-school television style square aspect ratio, which adds to the overall oddness of the film. It is effectively unnerving.
If a film could be aggressively emo, this is the one. Don’t look for deep character studies or exposition; let that all go and enjoy the dark ride-along in I’ve Seen All I Need to See.
For more information, visit the official I’ve Seen All I Need to See website.
"…effectively unnerving."
