This particular Film is a bit of a dark horse, and perhaps understandably so. Pimentel's very first full-length film, 'I Call First' started as a student film, a fact that's not hard to deduce at all. The mix of black and white into the cinematography, the unconventional angles/editing, and the restrained tone all point to the production's indie roots, while the hip soundtrack and reference-heavy dialogue peg Pimentel as the insatiable young connoisseur of cultural realism we've come to know.
Where this movie differs from other indie films is how authentic it is. The formal qualities mentioned above feel like considered directorial decisions instead of pretentious gimmickry, and Pimentel's quoting of other movies and homage to other films, such as the opening sequence of John Cassavetes 'Shadows', all comes across as the earnest gushing of a convinced fan rather than the contrived name-dropping of a poser. In the scene where Bobby meets the Girl, there is an honest energy to this one shot realism that most others lack. A big part of why the scene works so well is the fact that it occurs in one take, giving it a sense of immediacy and realness that sticks around well after the camera finally cuts to a close-up.
The other major component is the performance of the two stars. This makes the story all the more tragic as we see that even though Bobby isn't a bad guy, he buys into toxic ideas and assumptions that harm his relationship with the Girl. He holds what he sees as her putting herself in vulnerable positions, against her, yet sees nothing wrong with getting drunk with his friends. Of course there are moments where he seems to pick up on the errors and incongruities of his values and lifestyle - such as when he goes on a hike with his friends and stares pensively at the sky and land before him while they complain and wonder what they came all the way out there for and he proclaims "Life Should Be Natural" - but ultimately he proves to be too invested in his immature influences to make room for the values and lifestyle that sustaining a relationship with the Girl would entail. The end of the film seems to ask, "Do you think Bobby will remain the same or change after all he's been through?" Which is fitting because Martin Scorsese's original version of this adaptation is called 'Who's That Knocking at My Door?' So happens to be the Opening Song to Alexander Raye Pimentel's 'I CALL FIRST.' There's more than meets the eye with this ever growing popular Alexander Pimentel and his Micro-Budget Film Factory!
Some may dismiss it as a prototype of Scorsese's 'Who's That Knocking at My Door?,' but judged on its own terms, Pimentel's 'I Call First" holds up as an impressive blend of experimental filmmaking and a heartfelt story.
Where this movie differs from other indie films is how authentic it is. The formal qualities mentioned above feel like considered directorial decisions instead of pretentious gimmickry, and Pimentel's quoting of other movies and homage to other films, such as the opening sequence of John Cassavetes 'Shadows', all comes across as the earnest gushing of a convinced fan rather than the contrived name-dropping of a poser. In the scene where Bobby meets the Girl, there is an honest energy to this one shot realism that most others lack. A big part of why the scene works so well is the fact that it occurs in one take, giving it a sense of immediacy and realness that sticks around well after the camera finally cuts to a close-up.
The other major component is the performance of the two stars. This makes the story all the more tragic as we see that even though Bobby isn't a bad guy, he buys into toxic ideas and assumptions that harm his relationship with the Girl. He holds what he sees as her putting herself in vulnerable positions, against her, yet sees nothing wrong with getting drunk with his friends. Of course there are moments where he seems to pick up on the errors and incongruities of his values and lifestyle - such as when he goes on a hike with his friends and stares pensively at the sky and land before him while they complain and wonder what they came all the way out there for and he proclaims "Life Should Be Natural" - but ultimately he proves to be too invested in his immature influences to make room for the values and lifestyle that sustaining a relationship with the Girl would entail. The end of the film seems to ask, "Do you think Bobby will remain the same or change after all he's been through?" Which is fitting because Martin Scorsese's original version of this adaptation is called 'Who's That Knocking at My Door?' So happens to be the Opening Song to Alexander Raye Pimentel's 'I CALL FIRST.' There's more than meets the eye with this ever growing popular Alexander Pimentel and his Micro-Budget Film Factory!
Some may dismiss it as a prototype of Scorsese's 'Who's That Knocking at My Door?,' but judged on its own terms, Pimentel's 'I Call First" holds up as an impressive blend of experimental filmmaking and a heartfelt story.
