Just Don't Think I'll Scream

Just Don't Think I'll Scream is an emotive French documentary film from director Frank Beauvais which beautifully melds the art of cinema with that of introspective narration. Released in 2019, the movie does not follow the conventional storytelling blueprint but rather takes the viewer on an abstract and highly affecting journey through the mind of its protagonist, the director himself.

The film begins with Beauvais telling us about a personally tumultuous period in his life - the year 2016 – when he found himself in the throes of depression, having retreated to his childhood home in the isolated region of the Alsace countryside in France. His life situation at that time was marked by a stifling sense of loneliness and aimlessness, an emotional milieu which seems to underpin and pervade the entire film.

During this period, Beauvais started to use cinema as a refuge from the reality of his life, to the extent that he watched over 400 films in a span of just six months. This encounter with the world of cinema forms the core of Just Don't Think I'll Scream. The film deftly uses snippets from the movies Beauvais watched, weaving an intricate tapestry of cinema and personal retrospection. It’s a fascinatingly unique take on confessional cinema.

The film is visually made up of excerpts from the various movies Beauvais consumed during that period — from classic to obscure B movies, snippets of horror, experimental and even Hong Kong cinema. However, what remains a constant through this visual kaleidoscope is the background narration played over the top of the film clips. The voiceover narration is solely by Beauvais. He doesn't just ponder over the movies that he watched, but uses the movies as departure points for delicate, deeply personal musings about himself, the society and times we live in, the nature of cinema, and the albatross of existential angst.

The movie uses no characters, no scripted dialogues, but only fragments of other films, repurposed to supplement the narrative. This minimalist yet winsome approach places the focus squarely on Beauvais’ words and the feelings those words evoke. As a testimony of the therapeutic power of art and culture, Beauvais' story is a gloomy, yet fascinating, introspective venture that transcends traditional narration and disrupts conventional cinematic pathways.

There is a conspicuous lyricism pervasive in Beauvais’ measured soliloquy which is deeply poignant. The poetic articulation gives viewers an artistic representation of Beauvais’ intellectual and emotional world during a particularly desolate time in his life. Without precedents to compare against, Beauvais unfolds a new form of cinematic storytelling altogether, making 'Just Don't Think I'll Scream' a genuine piece of artistic expression.

Cinematically, Beauvais demonstrates the power of editing and montage in storytelling. The viewer is to put together the narrative from seemingly unrelated pieces not just visually but symbolically, an exercise that augments the sense of longing and loneliness Beauvais experienced. The film captures the profound possibility that cinema holds- not just as an art form but as an emotional shelter, a place for catharsis, a vehicle of empathy, and a mirror reflecting the viewer’s deepest vulnerabilities and fears.

'Just Don't Think I'll Scream' reveals the healing power of cinema and the ability of the art form to connect human experiences across space and time. The film is thought-provoking, prompting viewers to examine their own experiences with loneliness and despair, and the ways in which they confront or escape these emotions.

It is a delicately constructed self-portrait, palpable with emotion, and a testament to the solace one can find within the transportive world of cinema. With its innovative style and thoughtfully personal narrative, 'Just Don't Think I'll Scream' stands out as a captivating exploration of the intersections between cinema, loneliness, and the human desire to find meaning amidst despair. The movie serves as a profound meditation on the transformative power of art in challenging times, making 'Just Don't Think I'll Scream' a must-watch for film enthusiasts and lovers of uniquely personal storytelling.