Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse | |
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Directed by | Brian Lindstrom |
Produced by | Jason Renaud Brian Lindstrom Andrew Saunderson |
Cinematography | John Campbell |
Edited by | Andrew Saunderson |
Production company | Mental Health Association of Portland |
Distributed by | Breaking Glass Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse is an American feature-length documentary film, released in 2013 and directed by Brian Lindstrom. The film explores issues of police accountability in the case of James Chasse, a man with schizophrenia who was killed by Portland, Oregon police officers in 2006. The title refers to a song about him, " Alien Boy" by the Wipers.
In Family of James Chasse v City of Portland, Judge Garr King [1] added the film to the case gag order and was asked by Portland city attorneys for a change of venue based on teasers for Alien Boy. The case was settled in 2011 for $1.6 million and instructed an investigation by the Department of Justice which found the Portland Police Bureau "engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force" against persons with mental illness. [2] Prior settlements in 2009 included $925,000 from Multnomah County and a reported $600,000 from American Medical Rescue. Members of Portland City Council agreed with DOJ findings in a settlement signed in November 2012. [3]
The film was produced by the Mental Health Association of Portland, a nonprofit advocacy organization [4] and distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures. [5]
Alien Boy: the Life and Death of James Chasse premiered [6] at the Portland International Film Festival in February 2013. [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] It is an official selection of the 2013 [15] Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, [16] Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival, Cinema Pacific Film Festival (Eugene, Oregon), Astoria International Film Festival, Local Sightings Film Festival (Seattle), [17] and Rendezvous With Madness (Toronto). [18]
The film was reviewed in a number of publications including the Seattle Weekly, [19] The Seattle Times, [20] and The Stranger. [21] Rotten Tomatoes rates the film 87%. [22]