Review: Considered to be a sequel to the documentary Kamp Katrina, Ashley Sabin and David Redmon’s film, Invisible Girlfriend, is more like a spinoff then anything else. Admittedly, the film probably breaks many rules of sanity by asking Charles (a diagnosed bipolar paranoid schizophrenic) to ride a bike 400 miles back to New Orleans to meet up with a girl he believes is Joan of Arc incarnate. But Sabin and Redmon seem to handle the idea well and place audiences into the mind of this man. It’s not perfect, but it works. It is important to note that Invisible Girlfriend contains specific directorial choices that both help and hurt the end product. For instance, while in New Orleans and for pretty much any video shot at night, the video becomes blurred and surreal, as audiences seemingly enter the dream like state of the main character. At first it is an engaging fact of the film that helps viewers relate to Charles, but as Invisible Girlfriend progresses, the effect loses its appeal and becomes a distraction. Of course, there were just plain poor choices: such as the use of an Orange colored font for the titles… frankly, I’m still unclear why it was selected. Technical selections aside, this is a story the directors would like audiences to believe is similar to Homer’s Odyssey. And the idea of a man who imagines the unimaginable taking a 400 mile tour to meet his true love does in fact ring true to this ancient epic. But in reality, the idea falls flat. There is no character more unique than Charles and even he doesn’t seem to be willing to take the spotlight of the documentary. Worse, the filmmakers continually try to cut themselves out of the story when in reality, Charles is constantly acknowledging their presence. Hearing him complain to a mute cameraman is, beyond everything else, the most bizarre portion of the film. But despite its faults, there are a few rewarding moments, particularly the final destination: learning about what happened to the Joan of Arc incarnate and how Charles handles the news. It is one of the few scenes where audiences can bond with the humanity of this character and it almost makes the journey before it worth the investment. No, this is not a film you’ll recommend to your friends, but it doesn’t necessarily fall flat on its face either. It is certainly unique, but it’s proof that unique doesn’t always mean great. Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 2.5- there’s some gaps in understanding that could have been worth exploring Entertainment: 3- there is something engaging about a story that follows a character like Charles Technical: 2.5- cool effects turn to somewhat annoying by the end of the film Overall: 2.5- unique, but a chore to work through, even if you consider the final scenes
 
Format: Theater Year: 2009 Running Time: 74 Min Distributor: Carnivalesque Films Producer: Dale Smith and Deborah Smith Director: Ashley Sabin and David Redmon Date Reviewed: 6-10-2009 Story: Convinced he's in communication with his "invisible girlfriend" Joan of Arc, middle-aged Charles Fihoil decides to ride his bicycle 400 miles through the Louisiana countryside to connect with her in New Orleans in this engaging indie documentary. Filmmakers David Redmon and Ashley Sabin follow the sweet but occasionally disconcerting Charles on this unlikely mission as he meets a variety of eccentric characters along the way (NetFlix).