Jamie Marks is Dead is an oddly thrilling movie. It is not a fast film by any stretch of the imagination, but I do not think the movie should be criticized only on its speed.The name of the piece may seem like a massive spoiler, but since you see the corpse of Jamie within the first few minutes of footage, I would say otherwise. I assumed the film to be a horror of some sort, but I was very wrong. Yes, there are supernatural elements, but that is not the central theme. I believe it was created to make you think and re-evaluate how you treat your fellow human, especially during high school; you don't know what a person is going through.Adam, I found was a well-fleshed out character. He was moody, but not unbelievably so. His home life was unpleasant at best, with a wheelchair-bound mother, the woman that made her so constantly around, and a brother who despises him. He's not a popular boy, nor is he unpopular, he's simply there. He does run at school, which is his saving grace at school, the one thing he has talent in. I think he is still in the process of discovering himself, and discovering his sexuality, which I think is explored with Jamie. He's very much a believable character.Jamie, I found I sympathized a lot with, as I was bullied in high school. And I think although this is a pure assumption, I think one of the reasons he was bullied so relentlessly could have been to the fact he was debating his sexuality. He obviously had a crush on Adam and admired him from afar. I think they are quite alike, in my opinion. I think Adam was aware, during their time together, of how Jamie felt about him. And he never took advantage of that; I think Adam was exploring it too. I do think there was a gay tinge to their friendship, and it is done in such a way that it isn't made to feel forced, but rather a natural evolution of their friendship. And the fact that Jamie was more alive when he was dead should not be ignored.I think it is a great thought provoker, and it's one of my favorite movies in this genre. Reminded me of Let the Right One In, in its pacing.

Jamie Marks is Dead is an originally told downcast drama about two teens brought together after a classmate is found murdered in a rural town.Carter Smith writes and directs Jamie Marks is Dead, drawing inspiration and adapting Christopher Barzak's debut novel One for Sorrow.Jamie Marks is found murdered, naked and discarded amidst the detritus of decaying tree branches along the side of a creek. Classmate Adam becomes sympathetically absorbed in the death of the teenage boy who was not popular and often picked on. He and Gracie, the girl who discovered the body, become close from the murder when Jamie's ghost begins to appear to each of them.Cameron Monaghan is Adam, the classmate inexplicably drawn to Jamie's death. Monaghan is a budding talent and brings a realistic and unexaggerated angst to the role. Jamie Marks is Dead is about the melancholic connection of the characters and unfortunately Morgan Saylor's Gracie and Noah Silver's Jamie fail to deliver.Jamie Marks is Dead is original, moody and extremely dark. We examine the character's familial and interpersonal relationships through Jamie's death rather than being a suspenseful mystery to unveil the killer's identity. All the pieces for the plot are there but for some reason it never comes together believably. Adam's preoccupation with Jamie's death seems unfounded, and the character's evolution that yields the resolution seems premature.The story itself is laid out extremely slowly. Director Carter Smith uses this time to create a gloomy outlook of the characters' world through clear and decisive cinematography. The film is beautiful to look at, capturing the dark and austere bleakness of rural life and balancing it with perfect lighting for watchable scenes.Please check out our website for more recent reviews in FULL.

This is truly an inspiring story about something more than just being a teenage and how hard can it be for some people. It teaches us that we can find a true friend in the most unlikely of places, that that friend can be someone we never expected. Maybe, if we go deeper, this could be a way to tell us to not waist our time waiting for the right moment, because that moment is now, at every hour, at every minute, at every second.It's not really a horror movie, but a sad coming-of-age one, with a fantastic and touching storyline, well-played characters and a peaceful soundtrack that makes it slow sometimes but never boring.

It seems like no one has really seen this film aside from a very few, and I tend to not see films until I've heard enough reactions because, especially with indies like this, they always seem to, well, not be so good. This surprised me a whole lot. I thought it was going to be a horror film, and on some level it is, but it plays out like a coming- of-age drama. It reminds me of Let the Right One in/Let Me In in its slow pace, atmosphere, and pair of leads at the core. I think it's pretty fantastically directed, and the script, while not without its flaws, does a really good job setting up these characters and really giving some meat to the story. I strongly recommend this