A serial killer and his hostage enter into a dangerous game of survival and logic. When Leonard kidnaps Clara, he forces her to take part in the history of his life. Leonard keeps a scrapbook, keeping souveniers from all his victims, forcing them to write about their experiences as he rapes and tortures them. Clara will be no different. It is this scrapbook that might hold the key to Clara's survival.
Scrapbook is a mean, nasty movie, a claustrophobic and disturbing look at mental illness, cruelty, and the late twentieth century's obsession with fame. Written by star Tommy Biondo, and directed by the always-interesting Eric Stanze (Ice from the Sun), Scrapbook is unflinching, harrowing, and relentless.
If it wasn't for Stanze's name on package, I would have thought 'Oh, great, another serial killer movie', which is a genre that has long since been hammered into the ground like a cinematic tent peg. But as he proved with the amazing Ice From the Sun, Stanze isn't one to give you the same old thing, Indeed, Scrapbook really does deliver, giving you the the nightmare impression that this is what it is like to be abducted by a murderer, to be thrust into his environment, and to feel that you have no way of escaping.
From the filthy setting, to the graphic physical and mental tortures that Biondo's Leonard inflicts upon Emily Haack's Clara, Scrapbook is a terrifically difficult movie to watch. If it wasn't for the well-placed documentary at the end of the tape, most viewers, I suspect, would be compelled to drink themselves into oblivion after the credits stopped rolling. The film's documentary feel only increases the uncomfortable atmosphere. And unlike most b-movies, Scrapbook, despite the nudity and violence, is in no way exploitative. In fact, if you ever meet someone who found Scrapbook titilating, run for your life.
[As a side note, I once had a conversation with a man who said that he thought Schindler's List was "pretty good, but the naked chicks in that one section didn't do anything for me." Which was absolutely sickening. I would get the same feeling if anyone told me that they didn't find Emily Haack attractive, even though she is naked for most of the film. They've either missed the point, or they are desensitized beyond even being human.]
Everyone on Scrapbook's cast and crew should be commended for their work on this amazing movie. Anyone who is a connoisseur of independent film would be recommended, caveats intact, to give Scrapbook a try. The strength of the script and acting elevates it beyond it's low-budget roots, and a true, honest movie was made as a result. There is no trickery, no "pat" ending. Scrapbook introduces you to a mentally ill killer and his victim, and it's up to you how you deal with the introduction.