My Old School

There's an interesting relationship between reality and performance, and memory and truth, at the heart of this creative documentary by first-time filmmaker Jono McLeod. My Old School's writer and director is one of the students who went to school with the subject, which adds gravitas to a fascinating film about a man who pretended to be someone else, played by yet another person on-screen. Emmy-nominated actor Alan Cumming lip-synchs flawlessly to audio recordings of "Brandon" retelling his story, as classmates and teachers remember what they can and learn new information about the scandal that caused quite the stir in the Scottish city of Glasgow during the 1990s.

A nostalgic soundtrack is the fitting accompaniment to the simple, Daria-like animation of the era, maintaining a sense of playfulness and convivial disbelief as the truth unravels. The consistent inclusion of the interviewees as the story unfolds explores how this is as much about the school year that embraced "Brandon" as one of their own as it is about the curious character himself. Bringing together the then, the now, and the animated avatars helps position an array of experiences alongside the "facts" to create a production that feels at once intimate, shocking, and endlessly fascinating.