Bellflower director Evan Glodell has style to spare and he could stand to spare some if he doesn’t know how to use it meaningfully.  What starts off as a lifeless love story with a manic pixie dream girl eventually devolves into a narcissistic wasteland where a guy who gets royally screwed over begins to drown in dark nightmares of revenge, self-pity, and overwrought violence.  Any stabs at honest emotions are undermined by the heavy-handed direction coupled with Glodell’s ill-advised decision to cast himself in the lead role.  Brief moments of humor and humanity leak through the veneer, mainly from co-star Tyler Dawson, but everything is overshadowed by overgrown children calling each other “dude” and taking time off from the jobs they clearly don’t have.

I’ve tried to steer clear on knowing much about Bellflower.  The reactions I’ve heard about it are positive, but the reactions also tend to be dumb-struck, awe-struck, and hovering around “What the fuck was that?”  That’s a potent combination and so I’m staying in the dark so I can possibly share in that reaction.  That’s why I haven’t watched the new trailer for the film, but you can check it out after the jump.  Bellflower opens August 5th.