The Killing of John Lennon - EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL 2006

1st Aug. 2006, EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL 2006

In the footsteps of the assassin...

A true independent, the widescreen look of Andrew Piddington's latest feature belies its modest budget: no shabby exploitation-style thriller, it's instead a supremely well-crafted, handsomely made meditation on the relationship between celebrities and their public - as well as a journey into the twisted mind of killer Mark David Chapman, from his background in Hawaii all the way to his final, fatal rendezvous outside the Dakota Building in December 1980. (All Chapman's dialogue comes from his own journals and statements.) As the fan-turned-zealot, newcomer Jonas Ball is extraordinary, and the film - privately financed, shot over three years in various locations across the US - is a shrewd, semi-impressionistic look at the fine line separating hero-worship and psychosis.

It will doubtless become one of the most talked-about titles of the year.

Andrew Piddington / UK / 2006 / Colour/B&W / 112 min  / Jonas Ball

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