Plot Summary for
Standing by Yourself (2002)

This astounding documentary puts reality TV to shame and reminds us of just how unreal that prefabricated situation-based dreck really is. Standing by Yourself tracks the movements and daily machinations of a group of outcast friends in their strip-mall New York State hometown. Using everything from closely mic-ed subjects to infrared video Standing by Yourself gets uncomfortably close to its subjects as they get drunk and high, squander money, rip-off their parents, and get in trouble with pretty much everyone in their paths as a conduit to simply having a good time. And yet, as we discover, these kids are smarter than their actions would let on... Simultaneously devastating and hilarious, the film manages to capture the daily rituals and mundanities of life in such engrossing proximity that everything becomes drama. Disturbing for its unabashed honesty, our cast of characters both love and despise each other, their very actions acknowledging the pressures inherent in a tightly bonded peer group. The fact that the filmmakers family is integral to this slice of life takes us that much closer to it all.

Summary written by Alex MacKenzie

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