Critic Reviews
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Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
To criticize a film called The Tracey Fragments for being too fragmented may sound a bit on-the-nose, but this experimental drama from Canadian director Bruce McDonald is interesting for a while and then goes to pieces.
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Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I hated this movie. I really did.
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David Fear, Time Out New York
All this proves is that watching a poorly executed scene from 19 perspectives is worse than watching it once in an unbroken frame.
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Rex Reed, New York Observer
This audacious puzzlement is worth seeing, I guess, for some startling and innovative visual designs. But it doesn't amount to anything more substantial than a technical tour de force.
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A.O. Scott, New York Times
Viewed as the sum of its sad incidents, The Tracey Fragments seems like the kind of adolescent melodrama that has become a staple of young-adult literature.
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V.A. Musetto, New York Post
I have a feeling that this is the last time we'll see a down-and-dirty Ellen Page.
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Will Wade, Common Sense Media
Teen runaway's harrowing journey isn't for kids.
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Bill Chambers, Film Freak Central
Even with the film's scant running time of 77 minutes, the unrelenting use of Mondrian splitscreen is bound to give anyone a headache.
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Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
An exploration of the heightened, extreme emotional sensations of adolescence, The Tracey Fragments is demanding and relentless, an image overload in search of resolution.
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MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher
If you're not clear what all the fuss over Ellen Page is about, check out this 2007 Canadian film..., a showcase for her extraordinary and challenging talent...
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Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Juno's crazy twin sister!
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Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The split screen has never been used so purposefully or with such aesthetic care, capturing the multiple perspectives of a character who cannot separate reality from illusion because the whole world is inside her head.
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Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
[Page is] virtually the sole reason to see this duller-than-it-sounds experiment.
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Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
But Tracey Berkowitz is the anti-Juno: Where Cody Diablo's heroine is insouciant and confidently nonchalant, Tracey is angry, insecure and filled with an unsettling self-loathing, which Page brings to life with a searing immediacy.
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Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Even the adorable Ellen Page is entitled to perform in a dud.
Read all 15 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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"Run Lola Run" is the firt movie that came to my mind. "Paranoid Park" somehow too.
The movie runs exactly as our mind: a constant in and out of thoughts, fellings, memories and made up facts. Fragments that are part of many stories and end up in a single one.… More
"Run Lola Run" is the firt movie that came to my mind. "Paranoid Park" somehow too.
The movie runs exactly as our mind: a constant in and out of thoughts, fellings, memories and made up facts. Fragments that are part of many stories and end up in a single one. Messy. If there is a truth, it´s hidden somewhere.
If you can´t follow Tracey´s mind (it can be tiresome sometimes), an unplugged version can eb found on youtube. It´s also interesting , but not the same type of amazed confusing "experience" the film itself can offer.
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Hmmm... it was hard to watch with all the PIP boxes everywhere. Might have been really good aside from that. Page was very deep and amazing in her role though.
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"fragments" is definitely the key word with this movie, describing both the presentation of things, the mindset of the titular character, and how I (and I'm sure many others no doubt) feel about this movie. The Tracey Fragments is more like an exercise in editing or an… More
"fragments" is definitely the key word with this movie, describing both the presentation of things, the mindset of the titular character, and how I (and I'm sure many others no doubt) feel about this movie. The Tracey Fragments is more like an exercise in editing or an experience than a movie. The tone, mood, and atmosphere that are created are a huge part of things, and I really liked them. The artsy style and editing add to these things, but they end up taking over, and become a big distraction. Toning down the split screen stuff would have made for less tediousness, unless that was part of the filmmaker's point. The performances are good, and the music is nice, and I have to give some props for creativity and ambition, but this movie was a little too out there. I'm not sure of it's exact place, but this film ranks pretty high on my list of the most out there, off-the-wall, and mind-boggling films I've ever seen, which isn't necessarily a good thing or a bad one. There's nothing wrong with style and experimentation, which is why this film isn't getting a lower grade, but the over usage of said things is what keeps it from getting anything higher.
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What a hot mess this movie was. I was only wanting to see it because it had Ellen Page in it. I am glad I watched it for that fact, because I still think her acting was great. But the movie itself was unwatchable. The split screens, then jumping from one scene to another, never really… More
What a hot mess this movie was. I was only wanting to see it because it had Ellen Page in it. I am glad I watched it for that fact, because I still think her acting was great. But the movie itself was unwatchable. The split screens, then jumping from one scene to another, never really fully grasping the concept of what was going on. It leaves you not knowing exactly what happened. Watch it for Ellen Page's performance if you are a fan, but besides that, no way would I recommend this movie to anyone.
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This is the last time I watch a film with the word 'fragments' in the title. There are actually two things that frustrate me about this film. I guess I am not avant garde enough to enjoy the fragments of film we see and then there is the fact that this is a story of the… More
This is the last time I watch a film with the word 'fragments' in the title. There are actually two things that frustrate me about this film. I guess I am not avant garde enough to enjoy the fragments of film we see and then there is the fact that this is a story of the underbelly of city society - dysfunctional families, bullying, etc. I guess I prefer my movies to be rose-coloured.
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Not so much a film as an exercise in editing. It's got style and a distinct look but it's all too much. The film is essentially a recounting of events/memories, so the editing does work in context. It captures the frantic and fragmented nature of memories and thoughts.… More
Not so much a film as an exercise in editing. It's got style and a distinct look but it's all too much. The film is essentially a recounting of events/memories, so the editing does work in context. It captures the frantic and fragmented nature of memories and thoughts. Sometimes the editing can even give it a certain beat, one part has scenes appear and fade to coincide with breathing. It's a great visual trick. The script and the character of Tracey is another story. She is just spouting some thoughtless crap thinking she is profound. It gets tiring and when coupled with the editing, it's just one big distraction. I'm also still on the fence about Page's acting abilities. She's always playing characters that act mature, as opposed to simply mature young people. A nice try at something different, but it's hardly a film.
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In the end, I almost liked THE TRACY FRAGMENTS for its original, whacked-out nature, but it's not so much a film as it is an hour and twenty minutes of the filmmakers boasting "Look what WE can do in an editing suite...aren't we cool!" It's an artistic mess… More
In the end, I almost liked THE TRACY FRAGMENTS for its original, whacked-out nature, but it's not so much a film as it is an hour and twenty minutes of the filmmakers boasting "Look what WE can do in an editing suite...aren't we cool!" It's an artistic mess that almost won me over; almost.
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This was a great movie - more like a piece of art than an actual film, shot in split screens and slightly out of sequence. It fascinated me all the way through, although I still couldn't say for certain exactly what was going on all the way through it and how much of it was in… More
This was a great movie - more like a piece of art than an actual film, shot in split screens and slightly out of sequence. It fascinated me all the way through, although I still couldn't say for certain exactly what was going on all the way through it and how much of it was in Tracey's imagination. Ellen Page, as ever, is excellent playing a socially stunted 15 year old with family issues. Highly recommended if you like something a bit different.
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Indie flick hopped up on its own cleverness. Yes the screen is fragmented to reflect the fragments of Tracey's life. I get it. Ellen Page does some good manic acting, but she uses 3 different voices in the monologues (including the lackadaisical "Juno voice") and I… More
Indie flick hopped up on its own cleverness. Yes the screen is fragmented to reflect the fragments of Tracey's life. I get it. Ellen Page does some good manic acting, but she uses 3 different voices in the monologues (including the lackadaisical "Juno voice") and I wish she'd commit to one character tone instead of using her entire vocal range.
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This is a very daring film.
It is edited and shot in a way that may leave the viewer quite disoriented. That though is part of its magic.
Short bursts of emotion and pathos bombard the senses in a manner completely deliberate so as to take you where our 'protagonist' is.… More
This is a very daring film.
It is edited and shot in a way that may leave the viewer quite disoriented. That though is part of its magic.
Short bursts of emotion and pathos bombard the senses in a manner completely deliberate so as to take you where our 'protagonist' is.
She is lost.
Meet Tracey who is trying to make sense of life when all life seems to give to her is pain.
She doesn't perceive it that way though.
Defense mechanisms are a wonderful thing. We have them for a reason. To keep us from ourselves when we need to feel less.
Tracey finds solace in her delusions as she hunts for her brother who has been hypnotized to think he is a dog.
It sounds ridiculous, but it isn't.
This movie is full of angst and steps so far out on a limb that it threatens to drop off at every turn, but holds on so that if you make it past the first excruciatingly difficult minutes it takes to break through the unique manner by which the story is being told you will be bound to see it through to the end (try dramamine if need be).
Do I even have to say how brilliant Ellen Page was in this?
Watch this when you feel up to being hypnotized yourself, but don't even look for the conventional and don't look for the editing technique to end...it doesn't and if it did the story just would not come across the same.
It is as it is for a reason and not a gimmick.
In a very short period of time (77 minutes) this movie captures something amazing and brings it to you dissected for you to put it back together again.
In 'fragments' as it were.
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A fragmented story about a young girl whose life is fast falling apart. Ellen Page hits all the right notes as a "typical fifteen year old girl who hates herself". The events told in this happen over a very short few days, but in that time, Tracey's world is turned… More
A fragmented story about a young girl whose life is fast falling apart. Ellen Page hits all the right notes as a "typical fifteen year old girl who hates herself". The events told in this happen over a very short few days, but in that time, Tracey's world is turned upside down. Everything she thought she knew is now in doubt. Will she ever be loved? Is she worthy of love? Is she a good daughter? Is she a good sister? Will she ever develop breasts? The ambiguity of the ending wound up telling me more about myself than it did about Tracey. And I feel like I know Tracey very well.
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[font=Century Gothic]In "The Tracey Fragments," Tracey Berkowitz(Ellen Page) who is your typical high school outcast has taken to riding the buses at night to look for her younger brother, Sonny(Zie Souwand). This is after she convinced him that he is really a dog, angering… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Tracey Fragments," Tracey Berkowitz(Ellen Page) who is your typical high school outcast has taken to riding the buses at night to look for her younger brother, Sonny(Zie Souwand). This is after she convinced him that he is really a dog, angering her parents(Erin McMurtry & Ari Cohen) in the process. In return, her father grounds her. This means that the only thing she is allowed to leave the house for is high school which she hates until the new kid, Billy Zero(Slim Twig), shows up. Of course, Tracey is seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Heker(Julian Richings)...[/font]
[font=Century Gothic]"The Tracey Fragments" is further proof that no matter how experimental a movie tries to be, you still need a compelling story to tell. The nonlinear structure is fine(and probably resembles the routes of the buses Tracey rides) but fragmenting the images only makes the movie lose focus(occasionally resembling a music video which is not a good thing), which is a shame because Ellen Page gives another excellent performance which is best appreciated when there are no distractions. And the plot threads are arbitrarily tied up at the end of the movie in an unsatisfactory knot.[/font]
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This is probably one of the most boring movies I've ever tried to sit through. It's full of uninteresting characters, and the protagonist goes off on so many random tangents you forget that there's a story that she's telling, a story that MIGHT have been… More
This is probably one of the most boring movies I've ever tried to sit through. It's full of uninteresting characters, and the protagonist goes off on so many random tangents you forget that there's a story that she's telling, a story that MIGHT have been interesting if we gave a damn about the people it was about. On top of that, the split-screens used in order to depict the protagonist's is a little mentally unhinged come off as gimmicky rather than innovative.
Yeah, this movie sucks. Skip it, even if you're a die-hard Ellen Paige fan...
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Mezmerizing, loved it every bit!
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This is a film that has bright, exciting ideas about cinema as a storytelling medium and a vessel for emotional power. Employing bold editing techniques and visual concepts, the film is a character study that gives us the internal and external view of the title character's world.… More
This is a film that has bright, exciting ideas about cinema as a storytelling medium and a vessel for emotional power. Employing bold editing techniques and visual concepts, the film is a character study that gives us the internal and external view of the title character's world. Ellen Page's work is much better in this film than in her Oscar-nominated performance in Juno (released the same year). This film jarred me, astonished me, affected me and gave me something to talk about for days afterwards. Definitely a favorite.
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Somewhere between Memento and Run Lola Run, yet not, falls this film. The simultaneous multiple screens work well with the plot and Page is really good. It's almost arthouse, and a touch dour, but still worth a watch.
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Probably one of the most interesting films i've seen. Ellen Page plays 15 year old Tracey Berkowitz, who loses her younger brother and attempts to find him. In between we see elements of Tracey's personality that show anger, aggression, confusion and even love. What makes… More
Probably one of the most interesting films i've seen. Ellen Page plays 15 year old Tracey Berkowitz, who loses her younger brother and attempts to find him. In between we see elements of Tracey's personality that show anger, aggression, confusion and even love. What makes this film different is that its made entirely in split screen, meaning that there are at least 3 different pictures/moments/scenes on screen at any one time throughout the movie. Although this might seem weird, the director, Bruce McDonald, has somehow managed to make the film compelling and powerful and not just some mess of a movie. This is thanks in part to Ellen Page,who puts in another great performance, showing many emotions throughout and giving this messed up character some depth which can't have been easy. The split screen thing won't be for everyone,i can see how it might annoy some, but overall The Tracey Fragments is a striking, original and well made film.
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Wow this movie was weird. And not in a good way. It was really confusing with all the split screens, and they kept jumping back and forth between scenes. And then they had one of those endings that tell you nothing. I mean did she find her brother? Did she get caught in the blizzard… More
Wow this movie was weird. And not in a good way. It was really confusing with all the split screens, and they kept jumping back and forth between scenes. And then they had one of those endings that tell you nothing. I mean did she find her brother? Did she get caught in the blizzard and freeze to death? Let us know people. I mean I like Ellen Page, she is a wonderful actress and all, but this not one of her better movies.
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This was a big miss when it came to trying to do something different. All the split screens and things like that were really annoying and a bad idea. The story wasn't that great either.
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The visual style is interesting and under the right hands, could potentially make a great film. The problem is, this is not that film. Every character is annoyingly one-dimensional thanks to Tracey's emo-bullshit mind.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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