Who payed the critics

Dreadfully Boring

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Director and screenwriter Carlos Brooks' feature film debut which he wrote, is inspired by an idea he had. It premiered in the American Spectrum section at the 24th Sundance Film Festival in 2008, was shot on locations in USA and is an American production which was produced by producers Sarah Pillsbury and Midge Sanford. It tells the story about a man with a paraplegic injury he got from an auto accident in the late 1980s named Isaac Knott who lives in New York, USA and who works for a radio company called Pure and Wise. After being informed by his co-worker named Edie about a caller whom has requested to meet him, Isaac begins working on a story about people who wishes to have their body parts amputated so that they can live their lives in a chair like he does. Distinctly and subtly directed by filmmaker Carlos Brooks, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated by the main character and mostly from his point of view, draws an understanding portrayal of an American radio host whom during his investigation of people with several forms of a psychiatric condition called Body integrity identity disorder, acquaints a single woman named Fiona who tells him that she specializes in Chinese art and ice cream. While notable for its distinct and atmospheric milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by cinematographer Michael McDonough, production design by production designer Roshelle Berliner and use of sound, colors and light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about wannabes, pretenders and persons who for some reason think that the only way they can achieve completeness as human beings is by having an arm or a leg surgically removed, self-deception as a means for self-preservation and possibly sickly or irrational pangs of conscience, depicts a singular study of character and contains a great and timely score by composer Mark Mothersbaugh. This densely psychological, naturally humorous, cinematic and philosophically conversational indie from the late 2000s which is set during an autumn in America in the 21st century, where incomplete fictitious characters makes utopian deals with each other and where a man who claims that his ex-girlfriend named Raine broke up with him because he is a person with a disability and who although not believing in hope, hopes that he will walk again someday, finds a pair of effective shoes and a quid pro quo girl who not only has no apprehensions about him being in a wheelchair but also wishes to be in his situation, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, subtle continuity and the involving acting performances by American actor Nick Stahl and American actress Vera Farmiga. A serene, romantic and surreal narrative feature.

Set on the very fringes of underground society, Carlos Brooks' "Quid Pro Quo" is a humane and compassionate tale of non-handicapped people who have a pathological obsession with becoming either partially or totally disabled (or at least living their lives as if they were). In the most extreme cases, some will even go so far as to stage accidents, endure amputations or employ special drugs to turn their fantasy into reality. And, like anyone who's harboring a deep, dark secret from a critical world, these people are forced to live their lives in the closet, terrified that they will be rejected by those they care most about if they reveal the truth of who they really are inside.Isaac Knott (Nick Stahl) has been a paraplegic since he was a teen, the result of a car accident in which both his parents were killed. He's now a reporter for a local radio station and it is through an assignment for his work that he meets a group of able-bodied "wannabes," as well as an attractive young woman named Fiona (Vera Farmiga from "Up in the Air") who desperately wants to live life in a wheelchair and implores Isaac to help her achieve that goal.This quiet and gentle, though emotionally complex, film rises above its potentially tricky subject matter through insightful performances, sensitive writing, and a plot that nicely dovetails into itself in the second half. We discover that there's a great deal more to both Isaac and Fiona and their relationship than initially meets the eye, and those revelations go a long way towards deepening the theme and enhancing the characters.

Movie about an odd, underground segment, the intellectually passive version of Cronenberg's Crash. People who want to be crippled from the waste down and confined to a wheelchair.It is more than that. It's set within a mystery as to whether a radio reporter is getting lured into a trap or fake story. And unlike Crash, there's no drug connection. It's more psychological, but equally dark, simply without the ambiance and style that Crash had.The downside is that some of it seems too setup and the story under-developed. The result is that it seems less like a theater film and more like a TV movie, but worth watching.

"Quid Pro Quo" is about handicapped reporter Isaac (Nick Stahl) as he's given an odd story - people who wish to be handicapped. His investigation leads him to Fiona (Vera Farmiga), a capable woman who wishes she could be in a wheelchair like himself.As their relationship blossoms, he discovers some shocking information about Fiona, as well as try to come to terms with his own guilt about why he's handicapped, all of which leads to a shocking climax.This is a pretty decent movie (Magnolia Pictures always seem to do excellent work), with great acting, a superior story and deep insight into the lives of people most don't understand - those who wish to be handicapped even though they're not.