This review for Felt is being re-posted to coincide with the film’s VOD release.

In an age where rape culture is more visible than ever thanks to film, television, and the Internet using the aggressive act as a plot device, it’s apparent now more than ever we need narratives that help break down the emotional and tragic consequences of sexual aggression. Felt is the next, necessary step in the conversation and should help bring about a change.

Felt is a revolutionary piece of art that transcends all modern convention. A mesmerizing and dark story of loss, identity, and power that never loses track of its humanity. Don’t miss this one. 

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Felt
Director: Jason Banker
Rating: NR
Release Date: June 26th, 2015, July 21st, 2015 (VOD)

Felt exists in a tumultuous state. A tantalizing fog of fact and fiction, Felt is the creation of director Jason Banker and experimental artist Amy Everson whose experiences and art the film is based on. Everson’s “character” Amy is dealing with a traumatic event in her past which has left her a shell of her former self. As a way to cope with an overtly male world, she creates these suits in order to dress herself in a grotesquely male dominant form. Although there definitely is a bigger theme at play, Felt is wonderfully subdued in its narrative. While its fast and loose nature might turn some off, Director Banker makes sure every scene is highlighting something special. With a concise run time, not a single second is wasted.

At this point in the review, I’d usually try and focus on a few bullet points on why I liked or didn’t like a film, but I’m struggling to narrow Felt down to a core. Even though it’s been a few days since I’ve seen the film, I still don’t feel like I’ve processed it as much as I needed to do it justice. After my initial viewing, I sat their stunned. Unfeeling, unmoving, I had no idea what to do with myself next. A cold chill just ran over my body, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve seen and read about dozens of sexual violence incidents, and while they’ve always struck a chord with me, no narrative has ever encapsulated the pure tragedy of the acts so well. For the first time, we finally have a proper window to the experience that’s utterly real.

Still from Felt

As Amy has trouble rediscovering her sense of self, Felt also follows suit. At times, scenes feel aimless and longing. The ambiguous cinematography will no doubt be a turn off for most, but that’s where the film’s genius truly lies. Tackling such a huge theme like the after effects of rape can be a sticky situation, and that awkwardness is blown out of proportion to wonderful effect. You see, there’s a constant battle of agency at play. As Amy struggles to accept her new, identity-less self, you struggle to accept her as well. If you divert your gaze away from the film, or diverge from the intensity of the emotions at large, then, as a viewer, you’re succumbing to the power of the male gaze and taking away Amy’s agency. The second you refuse to accept Amy and her suit as she trapses through the forest, the second the aggressor wins. Felt is all about introspection and the expression of personal issues through new avenues of art. Regardless of how different or off putting it is, just take the time to absorb it whole.

None of this would’ve worked, however, without Amy Everson. Everson is a performing dynamo. Seemingly lethargic, charming, manic, humorous, and attention grabbing all rolled up into an innocuous package. She’s so enigmatic on screen, it’s hard to look away. You can feel bits of her soul in each performance as it cries out to the world, and it makes her character work seem even more palpable. There’s just something so intrinsically human about her performance which makes the film that more effective. Coupled with the striking imagery of her false skins and penises, her performance blurs the lines between the ludicrously tragic and the tragically ludicrous. There’s something special here, and it’s sad that I can’t find enough words to explain it.

Still from Felt

This is most likely the least “critical” sounding review I’ve ever written. The more I ramble on, the less effective this’ll be, but at the end of the day nothing I say will even matter. This isn’t a story about me. Felt is a small window into the experience that encapsulates all of the intensity of the situation herein, and if this is what a peek looks like, I’m not sure I can handle the whole thing.

I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, and I’m completely at loss for words. There just isn’t a word in our language to perfectly capture how powerful Felt is.