The film is set in a small Midwestern US town, in & around the wintertime. It tells of troubled teen John Wayne Cleaver(played by Max Records) who has been diagnosed as a sociopath with homicidal impulses, and is also obsessed with serial killers. His mother runs the funeral home, and all of a sudden they get a spate of new bodies coming their way as a serial killer is at work the town- murdering victims & taking a certainly body parts.  Just across the road from where the teen lives is the elderly Mr Crowley(played by Christopher Lloyd), and he plays a big part in the unravelling mystery.

The film is an Irish-British production, and there’s no doubt it’s a well made film, bringing together largely consistent performances, with the moody & often bleak look of small town Midwestern America. Like many films in the last few years there’s more than a nod back to 1970’s/ 1980’s in the colours used, pacing of the film, tone, and some of the set dressings- though seemingly it is set in or near present day.

The point of view of the story is very much told from that of the troubled teen Cleaver. So for much of the film one wonders if what’s been seen may be part of his mental illness or day-dreams. And this adds a nice edge of uncertainty to proceedings.

As mentioned in my opening paragraph the film blends together more then a few genres- taking in drama, horror, dark humour, sci-fi, coming-of-age, thriller, and detective movie traits. And this is where I feel the issues are, as it  feels like it never satisfyingly capturing any of these elements fully enough, as it often tries to balance them all together. And this creates an uneven & unbalanced tone/ flow to whole thing- which ultimately made the film lopsided & unconvincing.

I went into I Am Not A Serial Killer unsure what to expect, and really this is the best way to approach the film, with no pre-conceptions, or too many plot details. And while it’s well made & set film, and I respected the film makers attempts at genre blending. I ultimately came away from the whole thing feeling a little let down & unsatisfied by the film.