Film Review – Proper Binge (2017)

An independent film written and directed by Michael Burns and Dean Q. Mitchell, Proper Binge is worth adding to your watch-list.

Set in a small town in Alaska, Proper Binge follows Burgess “Buzz” Zwink (Bradford James Jackson), a 32-year-old self-destructive alcoholic living at home with his unnamed mother (Lois Simenson) and stepfather, Frank (Ron Holmstrom). Buzz is in a voluntary program for alcoholics and is tasked with spending the weekend sobering up and making a video of himself as he goes around town to apologize to everyone he has wronged.

Buzz has complicated, unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Brianna (Cassandre Leigh), with whom he had a complicated relationship and has a complicated friendship. She weaves in and out of the story as someone who cares for Buzz while also giving the sense of wanting relief. Meanwhile, Buzz hops on and off the wagon, wanders around, sleeps in a storage unit, pops in on friends, such as the sensitive and doe-eyed Jason (Berick Cook), and makes a new, unexpected one in a homeless drunk man full of character named Henrik (Thomas Jacobs). Seemingly no ambition or real desire to change, Buzz’s perspective is changed after an unexpected event that causes him to finally, at the very least, start attempting to take an honest look at himself and the impact of his words and actions on the people in his life.

Initially jarring that the filmmakers decided to present Proper Binge in black and white, as audiences are so accustomed now to nearly over-saturated colours and seemingly endless frenzied and loud dialogue and action, it is a welcome change and lends the film a greater feeling of authenticity and intimacy, almost as though we, the audience, are the ones holding the camera, recording a documentary about Buzz. The black and white also adds to the starkness of witnessing the very real and painful side effects of addiction: there is no dressing up or hiding reality with rose-coloured glasses here. Buzz’s apologies or attempts at apologies are, in turn, recorded earnestly and honestly by 12-year-old Alex (D’Artagnon Moonin), a boy who exudes a wisdom beyond his years and who we cannot help but hope will connect with a friend group his own rather, in lieu of spending his days with mostly drunk men in their 30s.

Proper Binge is a superb independent film thanks to its compelling script, skilful directing and editing and excellent performances. Jackson is outstanding as Buzz, giving a fully and entirely believable performance, drawing the audience in completely and honestly, whether he is stumbling around drunk and shouting obscenities, remembering with horror an event that alcohol had helped block out, or exhibiting an unexpected and ongoing softness and heart. A terrific supporting cast embodies small-town characters who clearly love and care for Buzz but are wearying of loving and caring for an addict, including the stepfather Frank, who walks lightly with a smile on his face, trying not to ruffle feathers and to keep the family together, but who is most certainly burning out internally with the constant Buzz-fuelled chaos.

Largely a drama, Proper Binge is punctuated by moments of humour that bring some levity to the heaviness of an intimate, black-and-white look at the collateral damage of one person’s addiction. The audience is hooked for the full 105-minute running time, sometimes wanting to look away from the events unfolding onscreen as we cross our fingers and hope for some redemption.

Proper Binge is available now on Amazon Prime (US).

★★★★


Comedy, Drama | USA, 2017 | 15 | Amazon Prime Video (US) | Dir. Michael Burns, Dean Q. Mitchell | Bradford James Jackson, Jeremy Blake, Berick Cook, D’Artagnon Moonin, Cassandre Leigh, Thomas Jacobs

 


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