March 28th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
Film: I Declare War
Directors: Robert Wilson and Jason Lapeyre
Starring: Siam Yu, Gage Munroe
While having an original idea for a film is one thing, bringing that idea to life in a way that is viable to large audiences is a completely different story. I Declare War is one of the few films that succeeds in both these areas, though many may argue it’s not a film for everyone, and hopefully it finds the attention it deserves in the months to come.
When bringing an original idea to life, it’s important to cut to the chase as fast as possible. Even if you have the most unique idea to date, burying the lead under sequence after sequence of familiar exposition will lead many to lost interest in whatever it is you have to share. I Declare War recognizes this and opts instead to throw viewers knee deep into a story already in progress. Two groups of boys (and one girl), all not likely to be older than twelve or thirteen, are entrenched in a game of war that likely goes much more in depth than anything you played as a kid. The point of the game is for each team to work together to capture the other team’s flag, but as the story begins to unravel we learn that certain players have more much devious goals in mind.
The rules of war are quite simple:
1. If you get hit with a grenade (ie balloon full of red paint) you’re dead. Go home.
2. If you get shot you are to stop playing and count to “10 steamboat” before returning to the game
3. Each team has a base. You cannot move your base once the game has begun.
At first it seems that everyone agrees to these rules, even though some protest, but as the story begins to unfold and tensions rise a member on one army stages a coup that threatens to take the game down a dark path. Prisoners, torture, and every other terrible thing that could result rom war begins to happen in this world lead by kids, and as things play out it becomes harder and harder to look away from the slowly unwinding madness on screen. The young actors manage carry this potentially emotionally draining weight with performances worthy of praise, but with a story like this it takes more than a solid cast to leave a lasting impression.
What makes I Declare War memorable is not just in the originality of the plot and strong casting choices, but also the simple-yet-stylistic way the story is told. Though our cast of character are just kids playing in the woods with sticks and water balloons, nearly every frame of the film depicts the characters as carrying actual weaponry. Likewise, multiple sequences are given grandiose musical scores similar to what you might find in a movie about an actual war. It’s in these moments where the line between reality and imagination blur that the film becomes something truly great because while it is without a doubt a simple editing trick, it’s also thoroughly effective. I cannot count how many times I caught myself with my mouth hanging open because I was in awe of the flawless transitions of subtle creativity happening on screen, but it was at least five.
People will say making movies where kids kill kids is in poor taste, but if movies are make believe and the story you’re telling is about kids a pretend game with fake deaths, is there anything wrong? If there is, I never want to be right because I Declare War is nothing short of a stellar work of independent film. It’s the kind of film that makes you want to create because you realize there are still countless avenues of originality left to explore, while simultaneously making you feel like no one could ever repeat what the filmmakers have accomplished. I Declare War is as one of a kind as movies get, and I cannot recommend enough that everyone passionate about creating truly unique art see it as soon as they are able.
Score: A
Review written by: James Shotwell
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