In a world where horror mysteries seem to be resigned to true crime terror, digital release Debunkers, Inc. comes from a long-line of good-natured mystery tales in the vein of The Hardy Boys. While it has some budget-bleary flaws, the film was a surprise from the first ten or so minutes, slowly tearing down my cinematography cynicism and replacing it with a return to a simpler kind of viewing, like watching Nick at Night with your Cherry and Coke Slurpee and a bag of Flaming Hot Cheetos.
The Debunkers are a group of amateur detectives with a very simple mission: the truth. And making money. On their first day of senior year, the perfect mystery falls into their lap: two smoking hot girls with $1,000 to spare believe their friend was murdered during summer school and that her ghost is haunting the science lab. With the help of new intern, Sheik, the Debunkers hatch a caper to find out what’s really going on in classroom E12. Soon, the reality of solving the case of a lifetime starts to take its toll, as each members’ differing goals and desires take them on a goosechase that will either make the Debunkers career, or end the limited liability corporation for good.
When I began watching Debunkers, Inc, I had the sharp, wary inhale of a critic about to watch a student film given a feature run time. The saturation and digitally clean color pallette tend to be markers for the not-quite-professional film, and there’s always a twinge of worry that the made-for-TV style of it all will distract from the actual quality of the story and set-pieces. Phrases like “adorable effort” and “good first try” come to mind. But, with the awareness of a more experienced filmmaker, director Matt Thompson seems to know how his film is going to look. Aware of the implications of the aesthetic, he plays into it with expressive lighting cues, super saturation, and empathic music choices. Albeit lacking polish, I relished the strong shadows and set-like staging. It was as though Thompson went through the director’s playbook, found the don’t try this unless you have a big budget section, and told his cinematographer “we’re doing it.” It reminds me of a lighting reel I once put together in film school. My professor had to sit me down and say, “we’re supposed to be working on basics. Put away the red gels.” All this is to say: there is a surreal self-awareness that this was never going to look like a Hollywood production, so rather than pulling back, Thompson pushed the envelope with funky panache.
The highlights of the story come from Josh Pinkowski, Izzy Pollack, and Blake Kevin Dwyer (Link, Snake, and Dr. Mario, respectively). The boys are so committed to their over-the-top, highly physical performances that every moment with them is a sheer joy. I found myself openly smiling each time they come together. And despite their exaggerated stereotypes, they play as teens on a mission to define themselves. Often, in those awkward years, having an identity becomes so singular that it can be easy to think of yourself as playing a character, and the triad plays each of theirs in spades. Doc is loyal, by-the-book, and mostly benign, but overcomes his fear with all the awkwardness of George McFly. Snake, playing every moment like a new video game level (displayed with the graphic gravitas of Scott Pilgrim vs the World), ducks, rolls, and meditates his way into a confident-in-his-own-oddity performance. Link translates effortlessly between straight-laced super-sleuth wannabe and son grieving his father’s loss of conviction. It’s as much amateur as it is endearing, and by the end I was hoping this wouldn’t be my last outing with the Debunkers – now Incorporated.
I can’t help but feel like this film is semi-autobiographical to Thompson. Trying to make your way in a highly specialized industry with little more than guts and passion can place you in a tricky position. You want to be a professional, to show the world you can do it, but are limited by location, budget, family issues, and the support of those around you. In many ways, trying to break into filmmaking is the same as trying to start a detective agency in high school. There’s a “fake it till you make it” ethos to Debunkers, Inc – and this being Thompson’s first feature effort, I can’t help but feel he may have been dealing with this in production. But it doesn’t take away from the film’s heart. There’s so much to enjoy, like a Saturday morning cartoon, taken just as seriously. Even the convoluted, out-of-left-field reveal could have been eye-rolling, but instead has you cheering for the gang (especially Doc’s disbelieving “did we die?” interjection, at which I laughed out loud). While still slightly on the student film side of aesthetic, Debunkers, Inc. is a light noir: family-friendly, full of gag and goofs, and will have you genuinely smiling the whole ride.
Debunkers, Inc. was released on September 3rd on Amazon, Vudu, iTunes and GooglePlay.
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