Lindsay the Alchemist (2006) User Reviews

A sobering film about mental illness.

[pennygirl_7 · 10/10 · 8 March 2007]

I saw this short film at the Calgary Fringe Festival, and I have to say, out of the many shorts that I have been subjected to viewing... and I do mean that in a vulgar manner... This film stood apart, the story tracks a young woman by the name of Lindsay, she locks herself in a dank basement to protect the outside world from what she is afraid she is going to become... something else? Who knows... The film is set up as a horror flick, but delivers a really complex character analysis that sees Lindsay realize the consequences of her own actions. By the film's conclusion you're left with a honest concern for the character, her plight and curiosity about her after the fact. The best part about this film is that is ONE character... one character for the whole film... and it holds you like a vice.

The acting, the images, the music... everything was a well orchestrated and timed piece of film making. I really hope this guy makes more work and some features with the same complexity and layers as this film.

You could really feel as though you were in the basement with her... and believe me... the space adds to the tension.

Kudos to the film maker on this one.

Dark, vulgar, unsettling....effective.

[Quag7 · 9/10 · 15 October 2008]

This is a treat. I was looking at another film on IMDb and noticed "alchemist" as the keyword and, curious, clicked on it, which led me to this short film by Benjamin Dickerson, who clearly has a more comprehensive understanding than most of what "alchemy" really means (in the hermetic sciences, it was about much more than changing lead into gold).

Lindsay has locked herself into a grimy purgatorial (or worse) basement because she is convinced that she is undergoing some kind of physical and mental transformation. The film is intended as a documentation of the process, and so, it seems, the transformation begins. At times Lindsay talks to the camera but is unable to articulate specifically what is happening, or why. But a happy camper, she is not.

There are lots of great things about this film, not the least of which is the actress, Pip Dwyer, who is either transforming into something or going insane, or both. A moody and haunting soundtrack accompanies the excellent camera work and editing as Lindsay unravels (the score is remarkable; it would be worth listening to on its own).

You can't pigeonhole this. It feels like a horror film, but is avant-garde, artistic, and surreal to the point where the term horror feels unfairly reductive, though it did creep me out.

Lindsay the Alchemist got under my skin. I had to smile at the ending, despite the nasty feeling in my stomach.

There are a lot of people making short films and putting them on the Internet these days, but Dickerson feels, to me, deserving of a feature film deal (no, I do not know Dickerson and am not shilling for him).

It's simply that this film indicates he's got the chops. With Lindsay the Alchemist, he has managed to make a film with one character, one room, and spare dialog compelling, weird, and disturbing. Even though this is a short film, it doesn't feel like a student film; the effectiveness of this pushes it into a whole other league.

You can watch this grim and existential film online at the filmmaker's website.

I would add that this is definitely not for young children.