The Upper Footage (2013)

Directed by: Justin Cole
Country: USA

Movie Review: “The Upper Footage” is surrounded by controversy for the simple reason that viewers may have difficulty to find if the supposed recovered footage presented is true or false. This happens due to the description of the film, stating that it's based on the editing of a 393-minute video featuring a crazy night party on alcohol and drugs in NY’s Upper East Side that led to the tragic overdose death of 18 year-old Jakie Spearo. We were told that the video was posted on YouTube by an extortionist, who negotiated with both media and family of Blake Pennington, one of the four guys involved in the case. Allegedly, Quentin Tarantino ended up buying the video with the intention of making a future cinematic adaptation. The lack of information about the film, including full cast and crew, was strategically thought, but in some aspects it didn’t reveal to be totally coherent as it could (mostly related with the found-footage). However, the film succeeds at least in one thing: to show the sad reality of spoiled rich young people who are incapable of a worthy conversation and don’t have any responsibility in life beyond partying all night long. The last part of the film creates some bizarre impact, when the interveners ponder if they should get rid of the body. Handheld camera intensifies the rawness of the scenes and the film ended up grabbing me somehow with all the shocking, abusive, and disgusting behaviors from its characters. Yes, it’s fake, but wild enough to deserve some attention, just like happened in 1999 with “The Blair Witch Project”.