Search - Positive Id (Ws) on DVD

MEMENTO

wdanthemanw | Geneva, Switzerland | 02/26/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"One of the reasons that made me welcome the DVD standard was the rerelease of hundreds of little forgotten gems I couldn't find in Europe in VHS nor in our local theaters. As I enjoy my television set only because it allows me to watch movies I've carefully chosen on the web, I haven't had the opportunity until now to discover POSITIVE I.D., a movie written, produced and directed by Andy Anderson. So, one more time, thank you Anchor Bay for releasing movies that don't match the usual criteria of Hollywood moghuls.POSITIVE I.D. owes a lot to Stephanie Rascoe who plays the characters of Julie Kenner and Bobbie King. She is simply outstanding, giving a tremendous reality to Julie, a 30 years old woman trying to recover from the trauma of an assault. She doesn't speak a lot but we feel how she is suffering while her husband and her children are slowly disappearing from her life. One could say that the plot is somewhat evident because the director never fools us by letting us believe that Julie is suffering from a schizophrenia that forces her to become Bobbie King, a gorgeous young woman from Florida, when she leaves home. We understand that, if she frequents the dangerous downtown streets of Dallas, it's for an evident reason I won't spoil here. No, Andy Anderson is smarter than that and the final twist of POSITIVE I.D. leaves us with the need to watch again the movie from a different perspective. From Julie's perspective.Only a trailer as bonus feature, video and sound no more than average.A DVD zone discovery."

The Ending Makes It Worth It

Gregg Clare | Baltimore | 05/09/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am not gonna lie and say the movie is the best thing you will ever see...but if you are interested in independent film then this is a must see. Filmed on a very low budget ( check out the credits at the end of the film ), this 1987 release was on many a film critics 10 Best list, mainly, in my opinion, due to Stephanie Rascoes performance as a rape victim who assumes another identity. This is basically one of those movies where you have no clue whats going on until the final ten minutes of the film...and when it all comes together you are FLOORED. Andy Anderson does a great job directing and writing and adds a few touches of humor to lighten things up.I originally caught this film on cable and never forgot it. Although the price is high, i would reccomend trying one of the auction sites( which is what I did)and buying it. Like I said earlier, if you like good independent films ( and remember, in 1987 independent films were far less common that they are now, especially in wide release) then I would definitely reccomend this film."

Intertaining

Gregg Clare | 03/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I like this movie because I have an interest in indie films thats growing. Its an older film with a small budget but if you can get over that it's a solid movie. It could have used sex as a seller but didn't and relyed on decent acting. Good movie."

A plot taut and razor-sharp

J. C. Birchley | Wuerenlingen, AG Switzerland | 06/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Positive I.D. - a tantalisingly short title and so succinctly to the point that is itself an apposite desciption of the film and what it has to offer. The title alone seems to challenge the potential viewer. This is not major cinema but in its way certainly a masterpiece. The brilliantly crafted direction leads the viewer through the film's tortuous path towards its conclusion, giving just enough of a lead to show which way to step next, but not enough to for you to know quite where, like a master chess player against an amateur. The plot remains tight and focussed throughout, hardly a sentence wasted, let alone a scene, as each is like cue for the next. I was absorbed as I watched the main character awkardly struggle from the depth of fear and self-pity to regain her feet, then walk, then function, and eventually dominate the theatre she constructs from the lives of the characters around her. Slow moving at first, the pace steadily hots up ...."