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In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years became the stuff of legend. (NR, 104 min.)
4:30 PM
8:15 PM
5:30 PM
In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend. Brandon had been privately tutored in Canada while he accompanied his mother, an opera diva, on tour before her tragic death. The preternaturally bright student surprised teachers by blazing toward his goal of entering medical school, displaying a wealth of knowledge beyond his years. Brandon found friends despite his initial awkwardness, taking bullied students under his wing, introducing classmates to seminal retro bands, and even starring in the school's production of South Pacific. But then his unbelievable secret was revealed. Filmmaker Jono McLeod returns to his old school for a nostalgic look at the strange but true story of his former classmate, Brandon Lee. Utilizing playful, period-specific animation, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, the memories of students and teachers, and the talents of Alan Cumming to bring the tale to life, MY OLD SCHOOL offers more than one surprise along the way. [Magnolia]
Starring: Alan Cumming, Carly McKinnon, Clare Grogan
Director: Jono McLeod
Genre(s): Drama, Documentary
"There is a great deal of heart in My Old School."
— Alan Ng, Film Threat
"My Old School is a hugely entertaining charmer."
— Christopher Schobert, The Film Stage
"My Old School will increasingly leave you slack-jawed."
— Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
"It's an absurd and stunning story, but it also holds such heart and authenticity that it feels deeply relatable."
— Rachel LaBonte, Screen Rant
"Director McLeod — another of Lee’s fellow students — has fun with contradictory accounts, tall tales and faulty memories in a film that pulls the rug just as effectively as its subject and inscrutable star do."
— Tara Brady, The Irish Times
"Here is a documentary for anyone who’s ever suffered from impostor syndrome or ever fantasised about going back in time to their school days, to reverse all those heartbreaks and humiliations. In other words: all of us."
— Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"This exceedingly creative and endlessly clever look back at a mysterious new student at a Scottish high school... works its true-crime storyline in a way that sticks with you as much as the more 'serious' nonfiction entries."
— David Fear, Rolling Stone
"Cumming is magnificent in this role, mastering the exact rhythm of Brandon’s speech while also interpreting his emotions with a naturalism that blends seamlessly with testimonials from former students and instructors."
— Martin Tsai, Martin Tsai
"Watching My Old School is like listening to a bunch of friends tell you about the wildest memory they share, and with flashbacks rendered in animation that recalls ’90s shows like Daria, it’s a romp of a period piece, too."
— Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
"Simply designed animation, modeled on the look of cool cartoons of the time such as Daria, adds an extra comic jauntiness. You could say, to use a popular slang term from the 90s, this puts the “mental” back in experimental, but in a good way."
— Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter
"This doc/animation hybrid is an eccentric little gem of a story, a tall tale told with irreverent cheer and considerable charm. Chief amongst its many attractions is the actor Alan Cumming, lip-syncing to an audio tape and delivering a performance that is quite uncanny."
— Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
