The Ideal (2011)

Wonderful character development!

Sadly Over-hyped

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This movie has achieved something special for me, it's managed to make it onto my personal list of 'worst ever movies' with some of the poorest film-making I've ever come across.They've tried to buck the trend of repetitive jump scares or OTT CGI, but sadly have replaced them with 1.5 hours of tedium instead.The acting is so wooden that even an immobile Pinocchio would look more animated, the script is rambling and nonsensical, and even the location which should have been a high point from merely looking at the exterior of the building, was instead made to look like any other high school in the US with absolutely zero feeling of age or character.Much like other movies in a similar vein, it promises to deliver on suspense and a clever theme, but instead falls utterly flat on both counts leaving nothing more than a miserable 90 minutes of sheer boredom.Not only should you avoid this like the plague, I began to wonder if actually contracting plague would have been vastly more entertaining and in fact a better way to have spent my time......just awful

"The Ideal" is Wes Ciesla's cinematic masterpiece of horror from the opening of innocence to the horrifying climax that leaves you questioning your personal acuity. While it is based on the story written by the high school student, Ciesla's cinematography certainly brings it to the level of mainstream classics. When Julia and Alexander take the summer job at the vast and empty high school building to work for Mr. Zenidro, the mood takes viewers back to their own high school days. First scenes invite them for more comfortable chair position (I watched the film on the big screen at Anthology Film Archives in New York), but not for long. The high school building has a secret with a sinister life of its own which gradually invades main characters as well as viewers minds. Use of music specially composed for this film; along with sound effects meticulously enhance the horror. Most scenes were screened at night. Ciesla directing is brilliant; from camera angles and lightning to artistic and dramatic aspects of the film. The cast delivers performances that are uniformly outstanding. I'd definitely recommend seeing it on the big screen.

To start with what i liked about this movie is that it was a unique story. I would imagine its hard to come up with a plot that hasn't been already done or similar to something that's already out there. The Ideal is neither. Also to learn that it was written by a student who was a junior at the high school it was filmed, Rivka Rappoport, also intrigued me. The imagination and vision of a young mind put to film. This is where the director Wes Tomasz Ciesla comes to play. He does an excellent job with the character development and changes that happens from the introduction of the characters to the end of the movie. Especially the relationship between student Alexander Dessler and his teacher Mr.Zenidro. This movie is hopefully the first of many films for the cast and crew. I look forward to see what Wes and Rivka's next project might be.

"The Ideal" is a film whose atmosphere grabs you from the beginning. Wes Ciesla's use of the actual school he taught in with its Tudor details and secret nooks and crannies is the key to the movie. The high school itself becomes the main character as two teenagers, Julia and Alexander, explore its corners one summer, find strange people from the Custodian to a German teacher, and a pair of students who seem to be transformed into zombie like students. They find their history teacher, Mr. Z, has become obsessed with writing a history that frightens the students..As the summer goes on, the mystery deepens to its dramatic conclusion.