Put The Camera On Me - This is one very telling look into the world of mini-adults. The both light and dark side of human nature captured by the cameras when the parents are away. Cult filmmaker Darren Stein, as a youngin, made a series a hilarious and creative films from age 7 to 11. As an adult, him and his "crew" re-examine the life they lead as children and the films they made.In the first act, I felt charmed by the youthful enthusiasm of the kids.the way they mimicked a combination of Hollywood and real life strewn together with hilarious make up effects (celephane and blood was pretty awesome - fun to watch someone elses memories and remember your own from those early creative years.And then the second act hit, and i felt like it should be required viewing in sociology and psych classes at universities. Especially child and sexual development classes. It's a very stark and fearless look into innocent sexuality, memory and kids who behave like mini-adults.And while at first I was skeptical about showing them as adults, thinking it would go too sentimental, the bond and bicker that remains and the way all of the personalities showed through made it cool and interesting. kinda like (but far more intimate and daring) the 7-up series by Michael Apted.And the third act, while sentimental, really pulls it in. The kids visions of violence carrried out as bonding is really true and beautiful. And the early expression of fear and rejection with one of the films being about a child's near suicide over having no friends - and the fact that the mini-filmmakers choose to end it happy and silly - shows the darkness they toy with in their expression is done with equal whimsy as the light. really telling stuff. Mini-humans with curiosities and awkward moments and jealousies and angers.Watch this picture. It's an beautiful expose on childhood imagination and jarringly hilarious look early sexuality.

it brings to mind the writings of Stephen King and the remembered childhoods filled with terror from stories like IT - as the exact opposite. There is no terror in these childhoods that any of the friends - who are still friends 20 years up the line - remember or seem to suffer from. Up the line all is described as friendly jostling, maybe periodically described as "picking on" one or more of them, but all is forgiven. There is no *angst* embedded as the film and the participants in later life describe the relationships - all we see are young people having grown up to be basically the same persons. More mature, but basically still the same people, and the same power structures.Totally amazing! Not just for the fact that people can in fact grow up relatively unharmed by social conventions - but also that friendships can in fact last. In this respect this movie is a tiny Pearl - as one assumes this has been the intent of the film: A portrait of unforced emotions binding people together. Which, when seen in opposition to films of later years portraying the dark sides of childhood - the violent inhibitions in Bowling for Combine is what easily springs to mind, but since mid 80'ies along with the growing adoration of children and childhood (accompanied by 1000s of commercials, animations and series directed straight at children) several movies and documentaries have had success with portraying the dark sides of growing up - the abuse, the loneliness, the push to excel - resulting in adults with dark and twisted minds.And here comes a film, that says: It IS possible to have a happy childhood, look'a'here!Thank you for that. OR the counterweight illusion ...8/10

Twisted, bizarre, enchanting, and hilarious! I couldn't stop laughing watching this film. Darren Stein presents the movies he made on the family camcorder growing up in Southern California in the 1980's. It's an interesting look at a budding filmmaker and his motivations and ability to manipulate for the camera. Manipulation is a strong word, however don't we all watch movies to be manipulated in some way or another? From the beginning, I was amused at the fact that the boys in the films seemed to appear shirtless whenever possible. Later, Darren comments about his budding homosexuality, and you can see it from the hints (big hints!) of flamboyance at an early age. Maybe it was just the warm Southern California weather, who knows? As a gay man who also grew up in a nurturing environment, it's great to see that his parents supported and loved him, and that his friends seemed to be entranced with his nascent talent behind the lens."Put the Camera On Me" offers a look back to the 80's untouched by commercialism. You'll remember the hair, the music, and the fashions. I'm the same age as Mr. Stein, so the trip back to memory lane was welcome. His solo lip-syncing dance number is priceless, enhanced by the Frankie Goes To Hollywood t-shirt.The films deal with dark themes at time. Child abuse, the Holocaust, nuclear war, sexual fantasy, and social dysfunction. No childhood is completely carefree, and the way Stein deals with these subjects is interesting to say the least, and hilarious to behold.Watch at your earliest convenience!

I've never laughed and/or smiled so much in my life. My face literally hurt after watching this movie. The films Darren Stein (the director) made with his childhood friends were way more ambitious than anything my friends or I made as a child. We pretty much stuck to straight horror, whilst Darren and Company tackled such heady themes as the holocaust, child abuse, and nuclear war. My favorite part: a little girl screaming "no, mommy, no!" in a monotone while her mother "beats" her (the little girl's barely suppressed laughter audible throughout). Other parts worthy of mention include the concentration camp "execution" scene (shot in a suburban living room) and the "bank robbery" scene (also shot in what appears to be the same living room). What makes the film really special, however, is watching a young Darren exhibit signs of being a truly manipulative, megalomaniacal film director. It's sweet, and also a little bit scary. This film is a must for all artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians who knew what they wanted to be at an early age.