| "A real life documentary about a 15yr kid named Billy” |
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Billy the Kid
DVD/APPROX. 84 MINS/2007/USA PG
DVD/APPROX. 84 MINS/2007/USA PG
8
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Billy The Kid is a Cinéma vérité film about a 15 year old kid from Lisbon Falls, Maine, called Billy. Billy loves heavy metal, martial arts, playing guitar
and animals. Billy tells us "I'm not black, not white, not foreign... just different in the mind.". Throughout this documentary / character profile, Billy
offers very intellectual insights into his life, and although it is never mentioned in the documentary what he suffers from, there is something a bit
unsettling about his character and the vast nature of his wisdom.
Basically the director Jennifer Venditti found Billy in a high school where she was scouting locations and studying different high school archetypes.
She was attracted to Billy straight away and this is how the documentary came about. Billy discusses elements of his past whilst his mother Penny
discusses these issues at greater lengths. Billy’s father was a violent drug user and abandoned the family when Billy was just 5 years old. This has
led Billy to be quite torn and angered about his past and in particular his father. Billy now has a step father and a new little brother whom he both
loves very deeply.
On the surface, Billy is a normal teenager, wanting to find love and happiness. He is indulgent in his dreams of being an actor, superhero and rock
star. What isn’t normal is his obsessions with all of these things. We witness some pretty uncomfortable situations throughout the documentary
and are taken on a first hand ride of a young teens emotions and tribulations. The director is respectful of the subject at all times and manages to
display the awkwardness of being a teen in a small town in a humorous yet heartbreaking way. Although the family is not rich, they are certainly
not white trash. They are a cultured family who even though wear heavy metal t shirts can talk about and pronounce correctly, Monet and Van
Gogh.
In the extras department of this release, there is a 20 minute short film which consists of Billy and his Mother watching Billy the Kid, and it
captures there reactions. There’s also an interview with the director which was really interesting and a director’s commentary.
Billy the Kid would be a film for anyone who loves human stories, who likes to be entertained by reality, truth and honesty. And is a must for
people who like films like Grey Gardens. I had the same feeling after watching Billy the Kid as I did with Grey Gardens, that these are friends I
wish I had. They are amazing subjects and I don’t know how anyone could hate these films. It says a lot about a person who could hate a film like
this. Billy the Kid is a must own DVD.
and animals. Billy tells us "I'm not black, not white, not foreign... just different in the mind.". Throughout this documentary / character profile, Billy
offers very intellectual insights into his life, and although it is never mentioned in the documentary what he suffers from, there is something a bit
unsettling about his character and the vast nature of his wisdom.
Basically the director Jennifer Venditti found Billy in a high school where she was scouting locations and studying different high school archetypes.
She was attracted to Billy straight away and this is how the documentary came about. Billy discusses elements of his past whilst his mother Penny
discusses these issues at greater lengths. Billy’s father was a violent drug user and abandoned the family when Billy was just 5 years old. This has
led Billy to be quite torn and angered about his past and in particular his father. Billy now has a step father and a new little brother whom he both
loves very deeply.
On the surface, Billy is a normal teenager, wanting to find love and happiness. He is indulgent in his dreams of being an actor, superhero and rock
star. What isn’t normal is his obsessions with all of these things. We witness some pretty uncomfortable situations throughout the documentary
and are taken on a first hand ride of a young teens emotions and tribulations. The director is respectful of the subject at all times and manages to
display the awkwardness of being a teen in a small town in a humorous yet heartbreaking way. Although the family is not rich, they are certainly
not white trash. They are a cultured family who even though wear heavy metal t shirts can talk about and pronounce correctly, Monet and Van
Gogh.
In the extras department of this release, there is a 20 minute short film which consists of Billy and his Mother watching Billy the Kid, and it
captures there reactions. There’s also an interview with the director which was really interesting and a director’s commentary.
Billy the Kid would be a film for anyone who loves human stories, who likes to be entertained by reality, truth and honesty. And is a must for
people who like films like Grey Gardens. I had the same feeling after watching Billy the Kid as I did with Grey Gardens, that these are friends I
wish I had. They are amazing subjects and I don’t know how anyone could hate these films. It says a lot about a person who could hate a film like
this. Billy the Kid is a must own DVD.
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