This is How Movies Should Be Made

good back-story, and good acting

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Six people on the verge of a breakdown decide to check themselves into an insane asylum, only to discover there is just room for one.I have to wonder, what sort of thing inspires this film? Luis Bunuel? David Lynch? Clearly Alice in Wonderland to some degree... but this film has a surreal vibe -- no, not a vibe. It is surreal through and through. Which, if you like that, will tickle your fancy.The idea behind this film was awesome, the imagery was awesome, the twists were awesome... so why did I give it a mediocre rating? Simply because this film, if redone by someone with a bigger budget and with access to more star power, could make it a much better film. The only really good actor was the man playing the bald guy in a suit. (The cyber girl was okay, too... the gender bender rapper was by far the worst.

So many movies are the same and this one isn't, mixing wry humor, visual painting that combines an unpredictable story (refreshing, that) with some bizarre circumstances. See it, experience it, this is the stuff that scifi fantasy fans just wait and wait for, something new and unusual. Adults need fantasy with wit and the bigger than life characters in the film are fraught with humor and totally twisted! Notable performances form the principles, hilarious and just so wrong, I bet Carlos Castaneda & Lewis Carroll would love this film. I look forward to more of Ajami's directing!

In reference to some of the previous reviews, yes "Asylum Seekers" dares to be surreal. Whether this is a compliment or an epithet is entirely according to individual taste, I suppose. I think that the film is quite smart and very humorous, although at times the joke takes a while to sink in. This, to my mind, is a good thing. Themes of acting, self-presentation, fragmentation, and "mental health" in modern life are presented quite well in this film. True, quite often "Asylum Seekers" dispenses with easy plot devices, but this seems to be rooted in an expectation that the audience will actually engage a bit with the underlying themes rather than passively wait to be jolted into cheap laughter or "understanding".Interestingly, the film reminds me a lot of Raymond Roussel's novels; Roussel was funny too, but only if you were open to his strange sense of the world.For those interested in the formal qualities of a film, I can say that "Asylum Seekers" looks great. True, it is not "realistic", but it is clear that the director and crew got the most out of what was probably a fairly low budget.So, for lazy viewers, this is not a good film at all. If you actually take X-Factor or "the media" (any media...Fox, MSNBC, BBC...does not matter, really) or your therapist seriously, by all means stay away! If this is the level of your engagement, this film is not only not for you...you are actually the film's target. For those who can appreciate a more complex world than this, however, I can highly recommend "Asylum Seekers".

This is the kind of indie film we don't see much of anymore. Great story, stunning visuals, and completely out there (it's right up there with the classics, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Velvet Goldmine). The acting is great, the characters are alive on screen, all of them funny, anguished, paranoid, and lovable. The costumes, the locations, all of the visuals are eye popping and bizarre as we are taken through the worlds and minds of these unique characters. The story alone sets the tone for this creative and wacky comedy, 6 self proclaimed crazies all fighting for the last spot in an elite insane asylum, you can be sure you're in for a wild ride!