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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Purgatory House'
(Celeste Davis, Jim Hanks, et al / DVD / R / (2003) 2007 / IMAGE Ent.)

Overview: Written by and starring 14-year-old Celeste Davis, this groundbreaking feature offers an inside glimpse of how it truly feels to be a teen in today's disconnected world. PURGATORY HOUSE chronicles the after-life journey of Silver Strand: a lonely teen who abandons her life of turmoil and drug addiction, only to find herself caught somewhere between heaven and hell. There, she must choose whether she will accept her drab existence or discover within herself the power to change.

DVD Verdict: The first thing you'll notice about this movie is that it views like a very low budget high school student film project. However this is not a film that should be judged by its production values or level of acting ability. When you discover that the script was written in its entirety by fourteen year old Celeste Davis (who bears a striking resemblance to ex-olympic figure skater Tonya Harding) who also stars in the lead role of recently departed suicide victim Silver Strand, you'll begin to realize what a remarkable achievement this movie truly is.

Silver departs this world to find herself in 'Purgatory House,' kind of a halfway home for teenage suicides. Each occupant has their own room that is exactly like the one they left on earth, equipped with all the same belongings and wardrobe they left behind. Not only that, but they are also supplied with a limitless amount of the drugs of their choice. Who could ask for anything more?

However there are also hard lessons to be learned in Purgatory, one of the most difficult is mandatory viewing of earthTV via a large big screen television mounted on the wall of each bedroom. Here they are forced to observe the ongoing life on earth of family and friends in order to see and understand how their choice to end their own life has impacted others.

'Purgatory House' is a pleasant surprise containing some very inventive thoughts, considerations and situations. It also deals with a number of crucial problems facing todays teenagers; suicide, addiction, school violence and unwanted pregnancy. Imagine, all this from the mind of a fourteen year old.

Also, please don't forget to watch the two featurettes; 'The Making of Purgatory House' and 'Putting It All Together.' They go a long way in putting the project in perspective and definitely raise the film to a higher level. This movie should be required viewing in every high school in America. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

"The Making of Purgatory House" featurette
"Putting it all Together" featurette
Los Angeles Premiere Footage
Music Video by Larisa Stow
Silver's Notes
Deleted Scenes
Trailers

www.Image-Entertainment.com





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