One of my all time favorites.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

So when it comes to Daniel Stamm films, the first I saw was the Last Exorcism. I undervalued this film because I saw it in theaters (The only of Stamm's films to go to theaters) and because it was during the whole string of horribly made unoriginal "exorcism" movies. After watching again, it actually isn't that bad. His newest film "13 sins" is based off a foreign film but is by far his BEST and way better than the Last Exorcism and A Necessary Death.Anyways, this review is about A Necessary Death (obviously). I definitely suggest a watch, because it is engrossing and gives an interesting fake documentary take on suicide in the genre of "horror." I said I would not include spoilers in this review, but the only place the movie fails is within the fact that a little over halfway through, you know EXACTLY how the film will end and the plot-twist/"oh wow" moment will unfold. Literally about 45 or 50 minutes into the movie, I said to myself, "Oh, well *this* (to avoid spoilers) will happen and the credits will roll." Sure enough, that it was exactly what happened. Overall an above average movie. Definitely worth a watch! Unfortunately, it is just PREDICTABLE. Like I said, give his newest film "13 sins" a chance and it is definitely his best piece to date.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this film. It really felt as a documentary on the beginning. The characters are really good - and work pretty damn well. I only noticed they were actors on the middle of the film, after the mother's interview. A thing that annoyed me was the part between the mother's interview and his final decision. It just felt off - annoying footage that did not add anything to the story. It felt quite fake and silly, in fact. Some other things start to scream "CHEAP MOVIE". They could have worked more on some of the story lines, such as the sister's reaction. About the ending... Better than I expected. Made me swear quite a bit. But it also made me really like the movie again. I almost gave up on the boxers part (seriously, no movie but American pie should be talking about boxer shorts for more than 1 minute. This movie spend at least 20 on that stupidity). Great mock-documentary, with interesting songs. If it was a bit more polished it would be on my top 10.

I attended the World Premiere of "A Necessary Death" at the 2008 SXSW Film Festival. This is a shocking and controversial feature from director Daniel Stamm.To say that "A Necessary Death" defies description is an understatement. In fact, it's so unique that to say much more would spoil it. In "A Necessary Death," we follow a young filmmaker as he shoots a documentary about suicide. The kicker is that he actively solicits a subject who has already made plans to off himself and is willing to do it on camera.For me, it's intensely personal. I lost a close friend to suicide about nine months ago and haven't really struggled with it as much as I'd expected to. I think I understand why he did what he did and the notion that someone taking their own life might be "justified" is something that is taboo in this society. This film breaks that taboo, and, in so doing, sheds some light on an issue which is so foreign to most people that they look at me with a mixture of disgust and wonder when I bring it up.Needless to say, the film addresses issues of ethics, legality, and responsibility for the actions of others. The viewer's comfort level is tested as the film pushes the envelope of what's acceptable in cinema. The question is posed, "If it isn't disturbing, is it art?" "A Necessary Death" surely disturbs.

I saw this movie at the SXSW film festival, and I found it to be a fascinating, nuanced examination of many interesting issues: the relationship between filmmaker and subject, the ethics of suicide, and much more...however, one thing about this film really makes me angry: It is essentially being marketed as a documentary, a la "Blair Witch Project", but it is in fact a work of fiction. This movie is good enough to stand on its own, but I guess for publicity purposes, they are trying to fool people into going to this movie thinking it is real--which cheapens the movie significantly.I would recommend the film, but I hope that people realize going in that it is not a documentary--it is emotionally powerful enough without resorting to such cheap shock tactics.