Movie Review: Slamdance World Premiere ‘Look At Me’

Making its world premiere at Slamdance, Look At Me is the searingly personal story of a bisexual actor in search of love while struggling with his own body image.

Fictionalized Autobiography

It’s characterized as a fictional autobiography, but Look At Me hews closely to the real life of the film’s writer and director, Taylor Olson. Adapting his solo play, Heavy, Olson used the technique to tell his story with as much honesty and vulnerability as possible.

The onscreen Taylor isn’t much different from the real Taylor. He’s an actor who’s constantly obsessing on his self-image. When he gets ready to go out on auditions, he questions everything. Will he be the right type? How will he look to them? And the big question: Will they accept him?

Someone Acceptable

This all happens as he’s struggling with his other personal issues: binge eating, bulimia, and the guilt they engender. He examines his body frequently, limits his food intake, and lifts weights obsessively in an effort to reshape himself into someone “acceptable.”

He’s also searching for someone who will love him for his authentic self, body shape and all. Male or female — it doesn’t matter. We see him making awkward attempts at connecting with others. He either moves too fast and repels them, or he retreats back into his own mind and pushes them away.

Stylishtly Shot

The film is stylishly shot. Olson’s DP, Tim Mombourquette, lensed it in black and white at various aspect ratios. According to Olson, B&W film is evocative of memories and it gives the story a “once upon a time” feel. Squeezing the aspect ratio at various points gives a feeling of claustrophobia to match the character’s emotion when he feels boxed in by his own struggles.

Look At Me is also engagingly put together. Sometimes it feels like a music video; sometimes it feels like a film straight out of Andy Warhol’s Factory. Although there are other characters in the film, Taylor is front and center the entire time. We find ourselves consistently rooting for him, even when he’s unintentionally cruel to others. Hey, we’ve all been there.

Universal Truths

It doesn’t matter what your sexuality is or what you see when you look in the mirror. Look At Me contains universal truths that will speak to everyone, and that’s what makes the film so effective.

Reviewed for Slamdance 2024 (world premiere). It screens Sunday, Jan. 21 at 9:00 p.m. at the Summer and David Theater @ the Yarrow Hotel and Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 5:15 p.m. at the Student Union Theater @ University of Utah. More information can be found on the Slamdance website.

Photos courtesy Afro Viking Pictures.