Page To Screen Spotlight : The Scribbler by Daniel Schaffer

 

  

I received access to a complimentary  stream of this movie in exchange for a review.

The Scribbler is available on VUDU , Google Play, and in some theaters.

The Scribbler’s first incarnation was in graphic novel form. Daniel Schaffer was both writer and artist of the 96 page graphic novel. Schaffer also wrote the screenplay for the movie adaption. The story centers around a woman struggling with multiple personality disorder. When viewers meet Suki she is transitioning to a halfway house after intense treatment. She is given a portable device that will continue slowly erasing her various personas until her “true self” remains.

From the opening scenes of this film the viewer is thrown into the mindscape of a Suki. Every shot matches the upheaval of Suki as she transitions to a halfway house armed only with the device she must use on herself regularly to  keep her “freedom”.

This movie asks the viewer to suspend disbelief on a lot of fronts. One that so many mentally challenged people would live unsupervised in one location, Two that a device to burnout extra personalities exists and that it would be put into the hands of someone who was mentally unstable, and Three that it would take the police a really long time to start questioning someone, despite the large body count amongst the half way houses residents.

Moving past that however Katie Cassidy does a very proficient job portraying Suki and the Scribbler. The interplay between the two of them is one of the most enjoyable parts of this movie. Unfortunately there are too many over the top moments that limit the exploration of their dynamic, and  make the viewer question if anything in the film is truly “real”.

The ending slants the story more towards a Superhero type origin story, then fevered imaginings. The supporting cast : Garret Dillahunt, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Eliza Dushku give solid performances. The very much fit into the directorial vision of John Suits. There are some fun bits throughout the movie but the more esoteric scenes seemed to drag the film off topic.

This film does however make me interested in the source material. I was really intrigued by the origins and powers of The Scribbler.