Independent films find audience online

Andrea Listenberger Guest Writer

A dozen women die at the beginning of the independent film Nobody Needs to Know. The viewer watches them take pills and die in their sleep as the young actresses try to impress their casting director.

It is an understatement to call Azazel Jacobs’ Nobody Needs to Know confusing. Perhaps Jacobs’ title alludes to the implied idea that the viewer need not initially understand everything that occurs, or even how the repeated themes connect. It seems his intention that things will sort out eventually, but not immediately. We do know a few key facts. Iris, a young actress, goes to a casting call and is asked to act out a death scene; any will do. She refuses and leaves the call. This simple action sets off a series of events that lead Iris and those around her to consider their pursuits of fame and power.

Throughout the film, a narrator observes the action from the viewer’s perspective. Lamont, a black man frustrated by constant surveillance, watches the characters. He comments from off-screen, occasionally mixing in his observations on life and sharing small philosophies, although he—and the audience—can only guess what they are thinking. As the film progresses, Lamont’s storyline does too, although his journey is less explicit.

It is easy to get lost during Nobody Needs to Know, however the beautiful black and white cinematography offers its audience ample incentive to keep watching, and the confusion is just intriguing enough to engage the viewer. The film asks us all to question our own motivations. It’s easy to reconsider from the new perspective Jacobs creates.

Although released in 2003 in a tour of the festival circuit, Nobody Needs to Know is showing now on a computer screen near you. More than that, downloaders of the movie needn’t fear harsh government pirating charges. Azazel Jacobs is one of a slowly growing number of directors who has chosen to release his film via the Internet—for free.

While the phenomenon of free movies online does go hand-in-hand with new technology and faster connection speeds, it also represents an evolving mentality of some in the film community. No doubt, big studios are still out to make the big cash, as are the majority of individual directors and producers. Yet more and more, productions are breaking away from the mold and daring to appeal to a smaller audience. The Internet has made it easier for this community of artistic experimental filmmakers of both shorts and full-length features to thrive and gain a following.

The narrative by Lamont alone is interesting enough, but the visual prowess displayed by Jacobs and his crew pushes the film to a higher level. That Vessey’s performance reveals so much about Iris is truly a tribute to the actress, as the script gives her little dialogue. Overall, Jacobs’ experiment in film distribution has proved successful, whether measured in the film’s quality or the download numbers. Hopefully, Jacobs’ results will prompt other insightful filmmakers to follow his lead and take advantage of new Internet technology.