In 1993, 16-year-old Brandon Lee enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years became the stuff of legend. Filmmaker Jono McLeod returns to his old school for a nostalgic look at the strange but true story of his former classmate, Brandon Lee. Utilizing playful, period-specific animation, a pitch-perfect soundtrack, the memories of students and teachers, and the talents of Alan Cumming to bring the tale to life, MY OLD SCHOOL offers more than one surprise along the way.
Director
Jono McLeod
Cast
Alan Cumming, Dawn Steele, Clare Grogan
Rating
Year
2022
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Main Trailer
Reviews
- "This exceedingly creative and endlessly clever look back at a mysterious new student at a Scottish high school... works its true-crime storyline in a way that sticks with you as much as the more "serious" nonfiction entries."
- Rolling Stone - "Stranger-than-fiction doesn’t come much stranger than My Old School."
- RogerEbert.com - "Watching MY OLD SCHOOL is like listening to a bunch of friends tell you about the wildest memory they share, and with flashbacks rendered in animation that recalls ’90s shows like Daria, it’s a romp of a period piece, too."
- Vox - "A fascinating film...that continually draws you in, and a powerful meditation on memory, the passing of time, and the stories we tell about ourselves and others. Unexpectedly moving and profound."
- The Queer Review - "My Old School will increasingly leave you slack-jawed."
- Austin Chronicle - "I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's a documentary with a lot of twists and turns and quite a bit of wit."
- FilmWeek - "[A] lively, amiable, and inventive film..."
- Boston Globe - "An engrossing, often witty meditation on what it means to grow and evolve."
- Washington Post
Festivals
- Night Visions Int'l Film Festival
- Sundance Film Festival
- Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
- Docs Against Gravity Film Festival