Purgatory House

If you've forgotten what it was like to be a teenager, a visit to Purgatory House will surely slam you back into that miserable, lonely, awkward time. Written (astonishingly) by then 14-year-old Celeste Davis, this heartrending semiautobiographical story follows a teen suicide (Davis) who ends up in a place halfway between heaven and hell: the fantastical Purgatory House, a supernatural shelter for kids on the edge. Shot with miniDV cameras and featuring SFX produced on home computers, Purgatory House is a breakthrough for digital filmmaking, a stunningly innovative example that pushes the boundaries of what's possible with the combination of inexpensive new technology and smart storytelling. Director Cindy Baer brings a just-right touch of dark whimsy to Davis' inspired invention of a realm in the afterlife dedicated to the eternally wretched. Davis, who also stars as the latest kid to find herself crashing forever at Purgatory House, is a phenomenally gifted and self-assured performer who is able to articulate the precise shadings of adolescent anger and despair. In fact, the searing immediacy of Davis' star turn—and the startling maturity of her satirical screenwriting wit—makes this flick one of the most honest, powerful, and revealing teen movies ever made. Highly recommended. (M. Johanson)