DVD Review: My Name Is A

By Brad Henderson

Movies push the limits constantly. Sometimes I go into a film knowing that it is going to hit me hard, but every once in a while a film comes out of nowhere to punch me right in the face. A few years ago the controversial A Serbian Film screened at South By Southwest and word spread quickly on social media that it was “the most fucked up movie ever made.” I agree A Serbian Film pushes the envelope a number of times and I mostly agree that it’s fucked up. However, there isn’t any realism in for it me and I believe it’s realism that’s scarier and sticks with you more. Films like A Serbian Film, Martyrs, and The Human Centipede are brutal but I have to give up a big portion of my suspension of disbelief because there is no realism to these films at all.

I’ve been on a Wild Eye Releasing kick recently; I’m slowly going through the titles in their catalogue. I’m finding some decent and fun flicks but I the other night I stumbled, stubbed my toe, fell down the stairs, and bashed my face right into My Name Is A.

My Name Is A is loosely based on a real-life tragedy involving the killing of a nine-year-old little girl by the warped Alyssa Bustamante. Alyssa hit the news a few years ago after authorities found out she took the life of Elizabeth Olten for “fun.” In this sick world there is what people consider “thrill killing.” There isn’t much to it and it’s pretty obvious what it is just by the name. Sadly, this is a thing and people do it for “fun.” Sick.

My Name Is A takes this real-life tragedy and gives an in-depth look at the psychological perspective through the eyes of numerous fictional characters that are added to give it more life and viewpoints. Aside from our story focusing on just Alyssa we are shown a few of the friends she associates with and their problems as well. It’s difficult at first to know who our story is focusing on because everyone has the same amount of screen time,but it soon becomes clear that our story is about the troubled Alyssa. For me, it seemed that the characters were the personalities of Alyssa and she was the only one to exist amongst of all these troubled teens.

Even though this is a micro-budget film, Shane Ryan does a bang-up job. Just because this film has budget constraints it doesn’t matter because Shane Ryan is one talented individual who brings us a weird, disturbing, and wonderfully shot film. One thing that really stood out was how Ryan creates different looks at different times throughout the film. We open with a haunting soundtrack and the film is shot in black and white, and then we jump to home video and other various visual styles in the film. Bottom Line: Shane Ryan is a badass.

To follow up on my discussion earlier about realism and brutality in films, My Name Is A is by far one of the most disturbing films that I’ve ever seen. Yeah, you can name a few films and ask if it’s “more disturbing than ______,” but this is a film that will haunt me forever. It made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I was even sweating during a certain sequence. Some things can’t be unseen and this is one that will stick with me until the day I die. To create something that will embed itself into the mind of an individual and never leave is a huge accomplishment for a filmmaker. It stuck with me because it’s just too real. I imagine others will be affected by it even harder.

With all this said, My Name Is A isn’t tasteless and doesn’t exploit the murderer or the victim in any way. It’s done with such class and finesse, it feels more like an arthouse film than a micro-budget indie. This film will find its audience very soon and be talked about as much as Found, A Serbian Film, Martyrs, and whatever else you think is brutal. My Name Is A will top all of those. Shane Ryan is one to watch out for as well as the Wild Eye Releasing label. Trust me.

My Name Is A was released by Wild Eye Releasing on September 23.