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bluemeanie
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Posted: October 4, 2008 at 12:00am
Remember back in the 1980's when you'd see those videos of young girls fainting when they got within feet of Michael Jackson? Remember when you'd see footage of fans crying and wailing every time Bruce Springsteen stomped his foot or Madonna fell to the ground? For some reasons, the 1980's brought an incredible level of fanaticism with it - and this decade also came with some of the most notorious stalkers and fan-crazed obsessees the music industry has known. "I Think We're Alone Now" chronicles two of these crazed fans, both obsessed with the singer Tiffany, whose title track to the film was her rocket to success. Her flame burned out quickly though, and within two years of emerging on the scene, she was reduced to playing at malls and state fairs. She still continues to tour the country, but she has yet to reclaim her once thriving success.
The first fan we meet is Jeff Turner, who suffers from Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism that damages social functions. Jeff seems nice enough, until you realize he's the man who brought a samurai sword to a Tiffany meet and greet. He's not dangerous, we're told - he just loves Tiffany so much. And the problem is - he thinks she loves him too. Jeff continually talks about how the singer and he are best friends - how she loves him but can't be with him because of her husband. He also talks about how they are both connected through their minds. Jeff has even purchased a device that he believes allows he and Tiffany to communicate through their brains. He has every Tiffany album and article and magazine. He attends every Tiffany function that comes around. The singer even had a restraining order taken out against him in the late-1980's. Currently, however, that ban has been lifted and Tiffany continues to meet him at public events, humoring the man and even taking time to listen to him, sign autographs and accept kisses on the cheek.
The next fan we meet is Kelly McCormick, a hermaphrodite who spends her days jogging around her city and her nights listening to Tiffany music and drinking. Kelly has been subjected to lots of persecution over the years and now she finds herself riddled with despair, loneliness and quite a bit of depression. She does not seem like a bad person at all. She loves Tiffany and believes that the singer helped her survive a near fatal car accident. Kelly, however, has never been able to see Tiffany live in concert. She thinks the two of them are destined to be together and has developed this fantasy world where she and Tiffany have a future together. She lives on a fixed income in a small apartment and survives off disability. We meet a couple of her friends; one seems to be her friend because of how bizarre she is and the other one seems to be her friend because he feels sorry for her. She doesn't have any shot at romance in this film because of her attitude and because of the way she seems to blur reality and fiction. She's close to being just like Jeff Turner.
The films paints two portraits of lonely individuals who suffer from physical or mental afflictions who have developed this bizarre obsession with Tiffany. I believe people when they say Jeff is not a dangerous person, and it looks like Tiffany knows that also, but it's just difficult to watch a grown man talk about how he and Tiffany are going to life happily ever after when you know he is just absolutely deluding himself, even though he seems to firmly believe it. Kelly seems far more unhinged and unbalanced than Jeff, but she seems to possess enough common sense to not ever do anything dangerous in regards to the singer. The most difficult aspect of the film is knowing that these two individuals have little hope of changing. At the end of the film, Jeff has switched his attention to another celebrity and Kelly still seems as depressed and as longing as before. There is a nice moment though when Jeff and Kelly meet at a Tiffany concert and we see the absolute joy in Kelly's eyes at getting to see her idol live and getting to meet her afterward. She and Jeff have an interesting exchange afterward in the hotel room that borderlines on scary.
There is something riveting about "I Think We're Alone Now" that is going to turn it into a cult classic like "Dancing Outlaw" or "Grey Gardens". It really does have that potential. It paints a disturbing and sympathetic portrait of Jeff Turner and Kelly McCormick that shows us the pain and languish of mental and physical illnesses and what they can cause an otherwise seemingly normal person to do. Does Jeff's Asperger's Syndrome cause his fanaticism? Does Kelly's condition cause hers? I think the answer is yes and no. Don't go into the film, however, looking for easy answers or for a solution that is going to make you smile. It won't. The film will entertain you, but you can't help leaving the picture feeling bad for these two people. And, you have to credit Tiffany for sticking by her fans. For her to even consider keeping a fan relationship with a man who brought her a samurai sword is beyond words. And you have to know it means the world to these two people that she is so sweet and kind to her fans. So, big props to filmmaker Sean Donnelly for this incredible new documentary and kudos to Tiffany for making it happen!
9/10.
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walters
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Posted: August 17, 2010 at 9:58pm
I think were alone now....Doesnt seem to a one around now!
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