Jon Peters Reviews: “The Tracy Fragments”

Before Ellen Page took the film world by notice in her Oscar-nominated turn in ‘Juno’, she had a few films done and waiting for release. After ‘Juno’ became a huge hit, some of these films got a chance to come out. One of them, ‘Smart People’, came out theatrically, but some were just festival films now hitting DVD. That’s not to say, they are bad, in fact I kind of liked ‘Tracey Fragments’.

Page plays Tracey Berkowitz, a Canadian teenager, who is being picked on, feels like a loner, and is a bit rebellious to her parents. Or, just a typical teenager. The film begins with her wrapped in a bed sheet explains to us that she is looking for her brother, who went missing. From there, the film shows us fragments of the last few weeks, in no true order.

Directed by Bruce McDonald, he uses the de Palma trick of split screen to a dizzying effect. At times we are treated to numerous split screens, sometimes up to six or more, each showing a scene from different angles or perspectives. The film’s structure is hinted at in the title, as McDonald breaks apart the narrative to show scenes out of order, perhaps telling the story as if it is being told by a teenager who brain is thinking a mile a minute. The film is always interesting to look at, at times it can feel over-directed, but it is a neat experiment nonetheless.

I kept thinking about how these scenes could be used in a music video, as they are constructed in such a manner, and then the rock songs played. I was right; they do appear to be a music video. The soundtrack is good, a perfect companion not only to the visual style of the film, but to Tracey herself. But also this was one of the first films to ever have its footage downloadable for anyone to arrange the footage as seen fit. Most made music videos.

The film is certainly stylish and one can even argue its all style over substance. The film lacks a fully constructed narrative giving way to most Tracey’s psychosis. With that, Page excels. I find Page to be one of the most consistently interesting young actresses working. She chooses roles that always challenge her and certain Tracey does. It’s a raw and powerful performance, let’s say the anti-Juno, but she is pretty fearless. She goes from naïve to angry in a second, from almost being raped to committing murder. If there’s any reason to seek out this little film, it’s Ellen Page.

The film is watchable because of Page, one of my favorite actresses today, but I can see the style of the film wearing out most casual viewers. At 78 minutes, it’s an interesting footnote in what type of actress Ellen Page is becoming.