In Theaters
Cute where it should be savage, writer-director Rodger Grossman’s take on the rise and fall of early American punk legend Darby Crash has great respect for the troubled artist, and it’s that respect which kills the movie’s chances for greatness. Like many films where the point of view is a tricky creature from the start, What We Do Is Secret uses a faux-documentary approach for much of the film. This allows Grossman’s star to wax grandiloquent in interviews and the rest of the cast to directly deliver their exposition—this in lieu of carefully crafting plot and characters through fictionalized drama. While this directness means the film doesn’t drag, it also keeps the characters at arm’s length. Given Crash’s propensity for direct confrontation, Grossman’s approach doesn’t do his subject any favors.
What We Do Is Secret is now in limited release, for better or worse. The full review is at Film Journal International.
