Over the past few years, influencers have become increasingly common as characters in film. With the notable exception of Kurtis David Harder’s 2022 hit, they have tended to be represented in a derogatory, even misogynistic manner. Christine Vrem-Ydstie does something very different here, showing us someone whom we may or may not like – someone who might possibly be dangerous, and is certainly capable of being inane – but who comes across as an ordinary person who is simply trying to build up a small business. Until, that is, she experiences a ‘vision’ and goes off the rails.
Largely a one-woman show, it’s a great acting showcase. Appearing in every scene, its star has to put across protagonist Joanna’s two different professional personalities and carry the real woman through the shift from small time grifter to...
Largely a one-woman show, it’s a great acting showcase. Appearing in every scene, its star has to put across protagonist Joanna’s two different professional personalities and carry the real woman through the shift from small time grifter to...
- 4/6/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Stars: Christine Vrem-Ydstie, Ryan Imhoff, Joette Waters | Written by Brian Wiebe, Christine Vrem-Ydstie | Directed by Brian Wiebe
In I Am A Channel we watch “an inspiring YouTube influencer becomes convinced she’s a channel to a high plane of existence when she receives an other worldly visitation.” That description actually makes the movie sound much more supernatural than it is because what it is, is much more grounded. That’s not to say that the movie isn’t scary. Perhaps, just not in the way some people will be expecting…
The movie has this air of uncertainty, or more bluntly put, just creepiness, almost from the get-go. I’m not sure if this says more about me than anything else because much of the first half of the movie is just a female influencer, filming her life, chatting to her ‘fans’, and smiling a lot. Perhaps it’s that constant...
In I Am A Channel we watch “an inspiring YouTube influencer becomes convinced she’s a channel to a high plane of existence when she receives an other worldly visitation.” That description actually makes the movie sound much more supernatural than it is because what it is, is much more grounded. That’s not to say that the movie isn’t scary. Perhaps, just not in the way some people will be expecting…
The movie has this air of uncertainty, or more bluntly put, just creepiness, almost from the get-go. I’m not sure if this says more about me than anything else because much of the first half of the movie is just a female influencer, filming her life, chatting to her ‘fans’, and smiling a lot. Perhaps it’s that constant...
- 2/22/2024
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
I Am A Channel
A low budget, independent venture which does a great deal with limited resources, I Am A Channel is the latest entry in a growing list of films about influencers, but it takes its story in a rather different direction. Initially marketing herself as a bubbly beauty guru and creator of unlikely breakfast items, Heidi – played by writer Christine Vrem-Ydstie – undergoes a transformation after she experiences a vision which she believes has given her a new and deeper understanding of the spiritual world. As former follower shift gears and become acolytes, she takes centre stage in a brand new cult. It’s an interesting study of power dynamics, isolation and the pursuit of meaning, which takes on a number of other topical issues along the way.
Meeting Christine and director Brian Wiebe to talk about the film, I begin by noting that it demands a lot from the former as.
A low budget, independent venture which does a great deal with limited resources, I Am A Channel is the latest entry in a growing list of films about influencers, but it takes its story in a rather different direction. Initially marketing herself as a bubbly beauty guru and creator of unlikely breakfast items, Heidi – played by writer Christine Vrem-Ydstie – undergoes a transformation after she experiences a vision which she believes has given her a new and deeper understanding of the spiritual world. As former follower shift gears and become acolytes, she takes centre stage in a brand new cult. It’s an interesting study of power dynamics, isolation and the pursuit of meaning, which takes on a number of other topical issues along the way.
Meeting Christine and director Brian Wiebe to talk about the film, I begin by noting that it demands a lot from the former as.
- 2/18/2024
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Stars: Lanise Antoine Shelley, Rob Fagin), Crystal Kim, Tyler Owen Parsons, Randolph Thompson, Christine Vrem-Ydstie, Will Mobley, Christina Reis, Ryan Imhoff | Written by Ryan Imhoff | Directed by Matt Neal, Ryan Imhoff
When Ryan Imhoff emailed me asking if I’d be interested in reviewing Fresh Hell, the film he wrote and co-directed with Matt Neal was a bit hesitant. Having been dealing with videochat horror films going back to Unfriended in 2014 and 2018’s E-Demon I was sicker than most of the genre. But its trailer looked different so I decided to give it a look. As it turns out, different is an understatement.
Classmates Grace (Lanise Antoine Shelley; Stratford Festival: Macbeth), Todd (Rob Fagin), Cynthia (Crystal Kim), Brian (Tyler Owen Parsons), James, and Kara haven’t seen other since graduation. Since Covid is preventing them from having an actual reunion, they’re doing it virtually via Zoom.
After a few...
When Ryan Imhoff emailed me asking if I’d be interested in reviewing Fresh Hell, the film he wrote and co-directed with Matt Neal was a bit hesitant. Having been dealing with videochat horror films going back to Unfriended in 2014 and 2018’s E-Demon I was sicker than most of the genre. But its trailer looked different so I decided to give it a look. As it turns out, different is an understatement.
Classmates Grace (Lanise Antoine Shelley; Stratford Festival: Macbeth), Todd (Rob Fagin), Cynthia (Crystal Kim), Brian (Tyler Owen Parsons), James, and Kara haven’t seen other since graduation. Since Covid is preventing them from having an actual reunion, they’re doing it virtually via Zoom.
After a few...
- 7/1/2022
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
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