‘I Like Movies’ - Review

The following is a review of the film ‘I Like Movies.’ For our exclusive interview with the director please click here.

I met Bill in my junior year of college. I was his RA. He was my resident. We connected immediately through late-night talks and shared adventures. He saw me as a mentor for school, relationships, and career choices. I saw him as a friend I cared about deeply. Bill had magnetic charm, quick wit, and found trouble everywhere. During one troubled moment, I helped guide him through depression and vulnerability.

A month later, he killed himself while under the influence.

His death broke me. Guilt consumed everything. I should have done more. Should have been there. I withdrew from everyone and everything I loved. Amazing friends reached out, but I pushed them away. I became a shadow drowning in guilt, questioning if I deserved love or acceptance. Self-destruction took over. Nothing could change my course. I kept digging deeper into isolation.

I haven't fully accepted that I can't keep punishing myself. But I'm getting there. One day I'll forgive myself and understand my actual responsibility. One step at a time.

In I Like Movies, you meet Lawrence Kweller, a filmbro whose movie obsession feels like life or death. Isaiah Lehtinen plays him with awkward charm. Lawrence watches movies daily like breathing. He dreams of becoming one of the greatest directors ever. Unfortunately, his ambition outweighs his talent and work ethic. Movies save him and destroy him simultaneously. He's self-absorbed, socially awkward, and inconsiderate. His father's suicide left him emotionally wrecked. He uses that trauma as both shield and excuse for being an ass.

In the 2002 Ontario suburbs, Lawrence navigates senior year with one friend. He gets a video store job to save for film school and becomes obsessed with his manager Alana (Romina D'Ugo). She's mentor and romantic interest rolled into one. But Lawrence's narcissism blinds him to everyone's humanity. Every relationship strains under his weight.

Chandler Levack shows you Lawrence exactly as he is. You won't always like him but you can't look away. We are magnetized to his journey because he's real.

Through Lawrence's self-discovery, I saw my own guilt and grief reflected back. Lawrence uses his father's suicide to avoid confronting fears and shortcomings. That felt disgustingly familiar. It woke me up. I'd been using Bill's death the same way. It was my shield, my excuse to regress, to avoid responsibility for growth.

Lawrence's journey reminds me of my flawed humanity, my passions, my struggle to find place in this world. Healing takes time. Redemption exists. Real growth happens when you embrace vulnerability and ask for help. Stop hiding behind trauma. Cherish the people who matter. The film shows human connection, empathy, and shared experiences. These things matter. I needed to rebuild lost connections. I'm not fully healed. But every day moves forward. I'm reconciling my fragmented double life, rediscovering who I was while building a future around service and compassion.

I Like Movies lives in my heart permanently. This film reminds me to embrace my story and stop using death as armor. If a filmbro like Lawrence finds redemption, maybe I can too. Sometimes you watch a movie that helps you find strength in shared human experiences. I Like Movies does that.

That's why I like movies.