Revolution #9

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Revolution #9 ★★½ 2001

James Jackson (Risley) is a late twenties worker drone in NYC who's just become engaged to Kim (Shelly) when his behavior undergoes a radical transformation. He's getting subliminal messages via commercials for a perfume called Revolution #9—the kind of messages that lead to worldwide conspiracy theories. His mental breakdown is diagnosed as schizophrenia with Kim bearing the brunt of James's paranoia and self-destructive behavior while she also tries to deal with the bureaucracy and inadequacies of the mental health system. Risley forgoes the histrionics often associated with playing a mentally ill character while Shelly displays the toughness of an ordinary woman confronted by a difficult situation. 91m/C VHS, DVD . US Michael Risley, Adrienne Shelly, Spalding Gray, Callie (Calliope) Thorne, Sakina Jaffrey, Michael Rodrick; D: Tim McCann; W: Tim McCann; C: Tim McCann; M: Douglas J. Cuomo.