They Look Like People is a Poignant and Heartfelt Must-See!

MacLeod Andrews in They Look Like People (2015)

Presented with crisp and vibrant colors, They Look Like People is, first and foremost, a breathtakingly beautiful film. The clever and unconventional camera angles present a clear and recognizable style which could only be related to this film. The movie also is a strong example of telling a story through images and specific visual cues. Things are shown rather than told. There is little to no expositional dialogue, and instead the audience is left to use their intelligence and pay close attention to certain objects, notes, or lingering shots in order to understand the plot and history of our characters. It is rare, particularly in the drama genre, for films to manage to do this so expertly, particularly when that film is an independent release done on an extremely low budget.

The plot is simple. Wyatt, a troubled young man, goes to live with a best friend who he hasn't seen in years, Christian. From there, the story builds, shaped around the friendship of the two men and depicting the bond between them as they rekindle the friendship they lost when they drifted apart in the past. Both men see how the other has changed and grown over the years, in some ways for the best and in other ways for the worst, and they recognize the ways that they have both remained the same despite the passage of time. The film is driven mainly by the characters and their personalities, depicting both men as deep and complex individuals with internal conflicts regarding arrogance and depression, which shapes them into surprisingly realistic people. Their realism is also helped by the fantastic acting of both MacLeod Andrews and Evan Dumouchel, who portray their characters so well that one can't help but wonder if each actor knows something deeper and more powerful about their character than anything we are ever shown.

Genre is a difficult thing to pinpoint for They Look Like People, while there is absolutely no gore, one might dare to venture as to call it a horror movie, but the lack of jump scares, gore, and other traditional aspects of the genre make it difficult for that label to stick. Drama is, perhaps, the best word to describe this film, because at its core They Look Like People is about two things: relationship, and mental illness.

This is, perhaps, the most accurate depiction of mental illness I have ever seen on film (or at least, in a film which chooses to devote itself to the topic). There is no sensationalizing, no cruelty or mocking presented toward those who suffer from the pain and turmoil that comes with mental illness. Those who are mentally ill are not depicted as horrifying monsters who must be stopped as soon as possible, or as wicked and cruel people who only wish ill will onto others. Instead, they are sympathetic characters, people who are truly and deeply struggling with something that they feel is beyond their control no matter how hard they try. One could even go as far as to call They Look Like People poignant in its depth and tragically realistic portrayal of how far and terrifying delusions can go.

They Look Like People is absolutely beautiful, and I cannot recommend it enough.

If you like the content that The Foxy Film Fan puts out and would like to ensure that it keeps coming, I encourage you to check out our Patreon for more information on how you can help!