‘Nobody is Crazy’ Review
Stars: Manuel Gutierrez, Frederico J. Arioni, Lara Ammi Wheeler, Kiran Sharbis, Paula Arioni, Alicia Arioni | Written and Directed by Frederico J. Arioni
The future is as irreversible as the rigid yesterday, this is the doctrine posited by Jorge Luis Borges that writer-director, Frederico J. Arioni, chooses to explore.
We are introduced to our protagonist, Rafael J. Blanco or Rafa (Manuel Gutierrez), a 16-year-old boy struggling with his obsessive-compulsive disorder (“OCD”) which entraps him in the rigidity of his mind. Of course, Rafa is also growing into the man he will one day become and is desperate to find himself in the world.
After attending a self-help group, Rafa meets a young, masked man who calls himself “Nobody” (played by writer/director Frederico Arioni) and who claims to be a time traveller. Of course, Nobody’s and Rafa’s world views are diametrically opposed making their blossoming friendship an interesting source of conflict in this introspective story. As such, the audience are taken on a journey with Rafa to see whether Nobody is who is says he is or if he is simply a charlatan.
Throughout Nobody is Crazy’s duration, we begin to under that Rafa and Nobody are simply the different sides of the same coin where the former is helplessly trapped in his own mind replaying the minutiae of any given scenario whereas the latter is free-spirited living in the here and now because of a simple truth that he subscribes to: that everything happens because it has to happen such as Rafa meeting Nobody and just the right point in time.
Nobody is a boon for Rafa in that he undertakes the mantle of Mr. Miyagi to Rafa’s Daniel La Russo, helping him break free of the chains that his OCD has him shackled in. Thrown into the mix of this blossoming friendship is Daria Josefina (Lara Ammi Wheeler), another needed guide on Rafa’s journey as she propels Rafa to seriously consider what type of man he wants to be in the future all of which leads to a thought-provoking final act.
Arioni has penned an emotionally impactful and intelligent story that competently utilises the science-fiction genre to explore the complexities of Rafa’s mental condition as well as how society views mental health. For instance, using Rafa’s condition, OCD, because it is classified as being a disorder in medical journals most are quick to label him as “crazy”. Yet, so-called ordinary people can be obsessed with their work or football games but escape this form of labelling. It gives us pause to reflect on how we treat and judge those suffering with mental health issues.
Overall, Nobody is Crazy is a clever and carefully constructed film that tackles complex subject matter such as time travel in a unique way, particularly as it is interwoven with the choices that young people make which sets them up for later life. Despite the heady concepts, these are delivered to the audience in a “just about” digestible manner given the cerebral nature of the dialogue. However, the audience does not feel alienated by some of the inaccessible parts of the story because they are kept engaged by the naturalistic and organic relationships built by the film’s cast.; meaning Arioni’s Nobody is Crazy firmly deserves its 4 out of 5-star ranking.
**** 4/5
Nobody is Crazy has played festivals in the United States, Mexico and India and is now being distributed worldwide.
