EIFF 2009: I'm Going to Explode

Roman and Maru meet in detention; he is being punished for his entry in the school talent show – a faked suicide by hanging titled “I’ll see you in Hell” – and she for applauding him. As Maru breathlessly confesses to her diary, the rebellious rich boy seems her chance to find her “perfect accomplice”. They affect a Bonnie-and-Clyde escape from school and hide out on the roof of his parent’s house. While their parents fret and search the two behave exactly as teenagers should: they eat and laze about; they get drunk and take their first fumbling sexual steps; they bicker and talk late into the night. However, when they leave their rooftop eyrie events slowly spin out of control. I’m Going to Explode features stylish direction, cool washed-out visuals, and a wonderfully sympathetic performance from Maria Deschamps as Maru, but ultimately lacks the controlling irony it needs to raise it to the level of a Badlands.