An experimental film that tells its story through a handful of scenes scattered across its black canvas like an unfinished jigsaw puzzle, “The Tracey Fragments” isn’t particularly good or bad – it’s just really unique. Filmed in only 14 days (and looking every bit as under-produced), the movie stars Ellen Page as the titular character, a 15-year-old outcast who recalls the events of the past two days while riding in the back of a bus wearing only a shower curtain. Along the way, we learn all about Tracey’s search for her lost brother Sonny, her fractured relationship with her parents, her dreamlike visits to a transvestite therapist, and her schoolgirl crush on the new kid in town.
Based on the novel by Maureen Medved, “The Tracey Fragments” might just be the weirdest movie you’ll ever see. In fact, I’m willing to bet that of every 10 people that do see it, only half will make it through all 77 maddening minutes. It’s not that the film is especially hard to follow, but it’s just not the kind of movie that most people care to see. The presentation is interesting, but it begins to wear on you as you’re forced to watch the same scenes over and over from different angles. It’s also hard to keep track of what moment you’re supposed to be invested in, because while there are two or three good shots going on at once, they never quite add up to anything more. Director Bruce McDonald is clearly more interested in the technical aspect of the experiment than the story it’s supposed to help tell, and though Ellen Page delivers a good performance in the title role, it’s not one she’ll be remembered for.
