Picking up a camera to record one's life is quite a challenge. And this writer/director tries just that. Using different video and film formats, he tries to record life during the turbulent 1990's.

'Visions of Violence' is at once a fascinating time capsule of life as well as the ultimate video diary. We get an insight into what being a teen/early 20-something is really like. In a non-traditional, experimental way, the vignettes form the narrative. And that whole makes up the world which was one filled with hanging out, vandalism, working (if you'd call it that), getting arrested, a riot, girls, and much more. We're seeing reality from a whole new perspective.—Barry Crostada

Having a lot in common with David Holzman's Diary (1967) and inspired by both Medium Cool (1969) and the gritty gang films of the late 1970's (The Warriors, The Wanderers, Over the Edge, Boulevard Nights, Walk Proud), 'Visions of Violence' is at once a fascinating time capsule of life in the 1990's as well the ultimate video diary. While it would be nearly impossible to record every waking moment of one's life, 'Visions' succeeds in putting the pieces of a diary together, which includes four different video formats, Super 8 film, audio conversations, and still photos. Tracing a period from 1992-1998, we get an insight into what being a teen/early 20-something was really like. In a non-traditional, experimental way, the vignettes unfold to form the narrative as a cohesive whole. And that whole is one filled with everything from: hanging out with friends, vandalism, working (if you'd call it that), getting arrested, a riot, girls, and much more. At times it appears we're getting too close to the filmmaker's soul. And we are. We're seeing reality from a whole new perspective: a marriage between documentary reality and theatrical fiction. And like Medium Cool (1969), this movie is intensely American in its imagery and ambition.—Barry C