Douglas Underdahl's debut feature comes in the form of the aptly titled Film School Confidential, an interesting dramatic comedy that examines the life and times and five very different film students from the same class over a year's worth of projects and schooling. As they all set out to finish their projects in time to the best of their new found abilities, they re-evaluate their own work and their own take on what good movie making really is.

Their differences set them apart but also make for some very interesting characters. Sara is the book smart girl, Sal is honest and forthright, Mark is into surrealism and arthouse material, Greg is overly concerned with the technical details of making sure everyone of his shot is perfect, and Marta, the surprise talent of the bunch, is more than just a little bit gun shy. Underdahl seems to be making a semi-autobiographical film with this debut release, and many of the quirks and personality traits that his characters exhibit in the film should seem all too familiar to anyone who has gone to school for film or video production. This gives the film a pretty realistic feel that lends it an atmosphere of credibility that very much works in its favor.

Performances are pretty solid, with all of the key cast members turning in reasonably decent efforts on their part and doing a good job with the dialogue and the facial emotions that the camera captures. The script is well written and moves along at a pretty good pace and even the slower moments seem to fit properly in amoungst some of the funnier bits that the film lays out for us.

If there's one thing to complain about in regards to the film it's the look – there are a few scenes that are shot slightly haphazardly, possibly on purpose though I can't say for sure, and that don't seem to fit the tone so accurately. I suppose this is all subjective and it might work that way for others but a film about filmmaking shouldn't drift out of focus and this one does in a couple of spots. Ultimately though, for a first time effort done on a small budget with limited resources, this is pretty forgiveable and Film School Confidential is an interesting, quiet little drama with some solid laughs and good characterizations. Not a bad debut at all.

Video:

The 1.85.1 transfer looks pretty solid. There is some mild edge enhancement in a few scenes and one or two instances where you might pick up on some mpeg compression artifacts but there's virtually no print damage and the image is nice and clean. There's a pretty high level of detail present from start to finish, colors look natural if a tiny bit soft, and the image is stable and consistent. A couple of scenes have a very soft focus to them but this looks like it's from the way that the film was shot and not an issue belonging to the actual transfer of the film itself.