Clean, Shaven

One of the most unpleasant movie experiences I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

It's basically a less subtle version of what Kerrigan would later develop into Keane. Still highly compelling work & Greene is fantastic.

Not overly impressed with the plotting, but very good acting and great use of sound.

Even with its anorexic plot and running time, this unsettling, unconventional gem is totally inspiring. Seeking to break out of every filmmaking convention, Kerrigan uses very original ideas in his attempt to bring us into the mind of a demented soul, making even simple tasks like making a sandwich look and feel horribly alien. It's only too bad that just when you start synchronizing with the film's unique beat it ends.

Will never look at pocket knives and fingernails the same way again.

The subject matter is fairly conventional: the story of a dangerous schizophrenic and the detective trying to track him down. Peter Greene is good, except at times I felt he was overdoing the illness a bit... too twitchy or something. The film is primarily notable for its ability to convey his subjective viewpoint, especially in its inspired use of sound. It's damned unsettling at times. Nice disjointed narrative as well.

Kerrigan trolls the viewer into tipping his hand and revealing his deep-seated fear and hatred of the mentally ill. Unfortunately he does so not to elucidate genuine concerns, but for his own smug self-satisfaction. This is actually a really well-crafted film with far more story than is apparent on first viewing, but it's a completely wasted opportunity to do something productive.

Engrossing and disturbing. Schizophrenia on film.

An exercise for the senses. A knife scraping jelly over toast never sounded, looked, and felt so uncomfortable. Every shot oozes with sensory stimulation that, by the end of the film, makes you feel almost as psychologically unsound as the protagonist. But the movie is more than a weird trip, it's a fascinating character study, and for my money the best take on schizophrenia ever filmed. Peter Greene's performance is heartbreaking.

One of the most realistic portrayals of paranoid schizophrenia in film. A Beautiful Mind eat your heart out. But the story was too conventional/boring for me, which is a real shame.

Talented stuff, fairly interesting and well acted. Not very substantial however and quite predictable.

At the end of the day, this movie is still from the 90ies, the decade of nitpicking, so director Kerrigan felt the need to tie up a few ends that had better remained loose. That minor gripe aside, this is a splendid, smallscale gem rooted by a marvelous performance by Green along with some beautifully minimalist framing and ear-porn the likes of which hasn't been heard since The Conversation.

"Clean, Shaven" approaches the theme of schitzophrenia in a whole other light than most films. This work is a more quiet, subtle, and understated treatment, showing a killer as sympathetic and capable of loving. The man's journey serves a very painful purpose, and when the final scenes come up - it is almost impossible to not feel for the character. A moving examination on personal chaos with Peter Greene in an all-time great performance.

an atmospherically immersive experience