SXSW Film Review: Brian

Coming of age can be a hard process – and nearly impossible for anyone to undergo with any degree of poise, confidence, or grace. Coming-of-age films can be even harder to complete successfully, and are often riddled with many of the same blemishes that plague the actual experience of growing up. These films are a dime a dozen because there’s a never-ending supply of emerging filmmakers who believe their growing-up experience is unique and/or profound. So when one of these films bucks the odds of being received as callow or commonplace, it’s something worth noting. Brian is one of these select overachievers.

Brian is a high school senior who suffers from panic attacks. Just the least bit of anxiety sends him into publicly conspicuous and obtrusive outbursts that set him apart as an odd duck and definite outcast among his fellow students. Yet what distinguishes the movie is the supportive environment in which he finds himself. His classmates know he’s prone to weird outbursts and while they may not want to pal around with him, neither do they bully or mock him. Mostly, Brian is ignored or overlooked. It’s the way most teenagers feel. At home, his parents and older brother offer protective understanding mixed with playful jests regarding his plight, and his therapist dutifully helps steer him toward social integration. But not until an exceedingly nice and friendly new student shows an interest in him does Brian begin to come out of his shell. After an audition for the drama club fails miserably (Brian’s audition is phenomenally good but when the director takes too long to offer a response, Brian spirals into an attack that culminates in calling the man “a fucking asshole”), Brian decides to run for class president. It’s a foolhardy endeavor for a person who can’t handle stress, but we root for Brian all the way.

A terrific cast is what makes this enthusiasm possible. As Brian, Ben Wang (The Long Walk and Karate Kid: Legends) deftly handles the character’s mood swings and guards against too much audience solicitude with the character’s tart responses and wisecracks. After all, despite his psychological outbursts Brian is just a punky teenager. As his parents (Randall Park and improv queen Edi Patterson) and brother (Sam Son Li), the group doles out love and humor in equal measures. Natalie Morales plays the teacher on whom Brian develops a dangerous crush, and William H. Macy has a small role as the therapist. Macy’s daughter, Sophia Macy, plays one of Brian’s classmates, a strident feminist also running for class president. Written by Mike Scollins (a longtime writer for Seth Meyers, whose company is a producer on the film), Brian is unexpectedly heartfelt for a writer known for his stinging satire. Actor turned first-time director Will Ropp delivers the goods, especially during Brian’s freakouts. Brian is the kind of film that speaks to everyone who’s ever felt they were the oddball.

Brian Narrative Feature Competition, World Premiere Tuesday 17, 3pm, Alamo Lamar Find more of The Austin Chronicle’s continuing coverage of SXSW.

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