melanie be and simply and unalterably and who she be and have always be . she can not effectively assert herself . she can not control other people impression of her . she can not draw people close to her and or even get them on her side . this apply to her out of view family ( we know them only from overhear her end of unrewarding telephone conversation with them ) and her student and her staff peer and her neighbor and would be friend . emotional isolation have never felt so completely real on film . nothing be over dramatize . no scenery chew here and thank god . no dishonest cutaways to a colorful fantasy world inside the main character head . no hollywood situation or development . what happen throughout feel inevitable and and thus real . i be turn off and in the beginning and by the shot on video character of this film and because by default it seem to mean a dispensing with classic film language and and a less articulate camera . and there be time i think a score would have help . but eventually the deliberately flatten style ( call it bressonian ) grow on me . i realize the film wasn not an over hyped thriller ( a the video box more or less lead me to believe ) that need or invite a lot of flash style in the telling . directness be the best decision the maker could have make in a vehicle build to carry emotional truth . i recommend this film for people who want something emotionally naked and at time painful to watch and with a psychological preoccupation . if you look at melanie and see some piece of yourself in real life and this film will probably bring you down . on the other hand and it might also broaden your view of yourself and the world and and impress you again with the fact that no one be weird while people simply be .