BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Brian Berta Every now and then, I come across a film which I feel deserves more recognition. Sometimes, their lack of popularity slightly disappoints me. However, it really disappoints me to see such a compelling, masterfully crafted film like "Clean, Shaven" have so little recognition. Someday, I hope it receives more popularity, because it deserves it.After a man named Peter Winter who suffers from schizophrenia is released from a mental institution, he attempts to get his daughter, Nicole, back from her adoptive family. He lives in a world that, to him, is filled with bizarre sounds and unexplainable occurrences which have negative effects on him. During his pursuit of his daughter, he becomes the prime suspect in an ongoing murder investigation.After watching this film a few times, I'm now fully convinced that it's the best sound designed film of all time. No other usage of sound has ever felt as natural, painful, and absorbing as this film did. There are many great scenes which expertly simulate schizophrenia. Some of these sounds can be found right at the beginning. The film starts off with a shot of several waves followed by many bizarre sounds and seemingly random images. The opening credits seem to be informing you that this is not going to be an orthodox film of any kind. Another chilling scene is when Peter experiences hallucinations at a library as that scene feels unexpected. I feel like sound effects can be more effective than visuals. A director could always just show a character's distorted facial expressions and expect the audience to connect the dots as to what the character is feeling, but using ear-piercing sounds like the ones from this film can immerse you into what the character is feeling to a much greater extent. Largely because of this, the sound design from this film had an enormous impact on me.Director Lodge Kerrigan used other tactics other than just sound to put you in the mind of Peter Winter such as having him isolate himself from the outside world in the way of covering the windows and mirrors of his car with newspapers. Peter also acted quite awkward around a few of the characters in the film. If he saw 2 sisters arguing with each other, the movie would have one of them talk in a demonic voice, almost like that's how Peter views other people. If he saw someone holding a gun, time would appear to slow down for him, showing he's clearly intimidated by the person holding the weapon. Clever moments like these make the movie feel atmospheric as it shows that Peter views the world as uncompromising. Kerrigan set out to create a realistic depiction of schizophrenia when he made this movie. Considering the sound design and the other miscellaneous techniques used in the film, I believe Kerrigan did just that.The movie also works on a story level. I was intrigued by the question of whether Peter was responsible for the murder or not, because I honestly couldn't decide until the movie revealed the truth at the end. The hallucinations Peter underwent did a good job at keeping me guessing, specifically when the movie juxtaposed a murder over one of Peter's hallucinations while he stayed at the motel the murder occurred near. I felt like that scene was a red herring, but I still couldn't be completely sure. A recent observation I made was how none of the characters were on-screen nearly as much as Peter was. I've observed this quite a few times in other films. In this case, however, I think Kerrigan intended to make the film this way to make everything revolve around Peter, hence the mysterious tone of the film. Kerrigan also made a good decision by providing middle ground to the detective at the end by having him reflect on the actions he made throughout the film. By doing so, he avoided having him feel unlikable.In conclusion, this movie blew me away for several reasons. Due of a mixture of compelling technical and story qualities, Kerrigan managed to craft one of my favorite films from the 90's. Its ending might turn off some people, but if you're able to get by it, you're in for a great experience. I really do wish this film would get more recognition, but regardless of whether it fades into obscurity or not in the future, it will always remain as the most atmospheric and bizarre film on mental illnesses ever made.

Scott-212 It took me a few viewing to get into this movie, and my biggest gripe was that the film left the issue of Peter's involvement in a rather disturbing murder unanswered. *SPOILER! Don't read any further unless you've seen the movie* The little girl is murdered at some point when Peter is staying at the hotel. It shows him lying in bed looking up at the ceiling, abruptly cutting to a shot of an unseen assailant beating the girl to death. This seems to imply Peter was involved, however right after this there is a scene where Peter hears, outside his hotel room, the sound of people laughing. Since it is established that Peter constantly hears strange noises, you don't know if this is real or not.Prior to all this is a scene where an older woman (mother or sister) is cross with the girl, threatening to hurt her. Later, when McNally is questioning the maintenance guy over the phone, the guy is not the least bit disturbed he found the battered body of a child, but rather complains to McNally that she smelled so bad he couldn't continue working. In the last few minutes, McNally is seen on the phone saying "Inconclusive?". I took from this part he was talking to his department and they were telling him there was not enough evidence to connect Peter with the murder, thus his findings were inconclusive. In the next scene, McNally is back in the bar, and sitting nearby is a man and woman. The woman is upset, crying, and the man tells her she's like a broken record. I think these two are the angry woman and maintenance guy from the hotel, and that they were the killers, since earlier in the film it was established neither have any real regard for the dead girl. It is a quick shot, almost a throwaway, but look for it the next time you watch the film. Peter's possible guilt as a child killer / abuser is also implied when he beats the girl in the city for accidentally bumping his car. The beating is never seen, only heard, and right after Peter drives away from this there are people on the sidewalk who don't act like they've just seen a man beat up a small girl. This leads me to think this whole incident was in Peter's mind. Anyway, just my two cents. Thanks for reading. Hope I'm not just repeating stuff Lodge Kerrigan says in the commentary, I've not yet seen the DVD. Scott

EVOL666 CLEAN, SHAVEN is a dark film detailing the experiences of a paranoid man trying to get custody of his daughter.Peter has recently been released from a mental hospital, and it's pretty obvious early on that he's still not all-there. He tries to function in surroundings that are scary and alien to him, and it is not an easy situation. He wants to be the person/father that he should be, but his mental limitations make that impossible.CLEAN, SHAVEN is a pretty somber experience and isn't recommended for the casual film viewer. I personally didn't find the film to be quite as controversial and "shocking" as many did, but it is a pretty depressing film. One scene in particular may find most in the audience squirming...recommended for those who enjoy subversive/depressing cinema. 8/10

ro6ot sorry, this isn't a Hollywood movie about schizophrenia, its not a killer/thriller, its not a gross~out picture, and its not boring. Not being schizophrenic myself i can't attest to the strict accuracy of the impression one is left with. All I can say for sure is that this is without question one of the most strangely beautiful, compassionate, powerful pieces of art i have ever seen.The story is ultimately incredibly frustrating and deeply tragic, much like the life of its protagonist; poignant and scary start to finish. the cinematography captures the absurd beauty of the natural world and juxtaposes it with the terrifying strangeness of feeling utterly disconnected therefrom. Peter suffers from random auditory hallucinations, so we do to. He is deeply paranoid and almost utterly lost in the world; its clear someone is out to get him, and we are never sure whether he actually hurt anyone or not.If you want to be spoon~fed something you've already experienced many times before, this isn't the movie for you. But if you appreciate being challenged, forced even, to see the world through a very different lens, you should really see this movie if you haven't already.