It’s one of my favorite Sundance genres. A filmmaker takes a story you’d expect to see in News of the Weird, turns it into a feature-length investigation, and finds nuances and plot twists you’d never expect.
In the mid-1990s, the Bearsden Academy, located in a classy suburb of Glasgow, admitted a young Canadian student named Brandon Lee—who only attracted attention, at first, because he had the same name as the action-movie star (son of Bruce Lee) who had just died in an on-set accident.
However, it wasn’t long before the precocious, talented teenager made an impression on both students and faculty.
Then his big secret was revealed, and it became national news in Scotland.
The film utilizes three modes to tell its quirky story. The flashbacks at school are shown in clunky, TV-ad-style animation. Narration is supplied by Brandon’s old classmates, now middle-aged, sitting down again behind school desks to recollect a story they still don’t fully understand. One of the classmates is the director, Jono MacLeod.
And Brandon himself tells part of the story! However, he refused to appear on camera, so his words are lip-synced, and acted out, by renowned performer Alan Cumming.
It’s amazing, funny and thoughtful. But wait, there’s more!—with Lulu (To Sir With Love) performing a vocal role and singing the title song, a Steely Dan cover.