My Old School Review: Scottish Schoolboy’s Secret Makes For Compelling Doc

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Movies are the best places for outlandish stories, and one can argue documentaries are even better. There is no greater thrill than watching a true story unravel right before one's eyes, especially when it seems like it couldn't actually have happened. This is the case with My Old School, a new documentary from Jono McLeod. While some of the biggest documentaries seem to focus on major historical events and towering public figures, this film goes for a tale that might not have gotten much notice outside of Scotland. That detail somehow makes it no less gripping or relatable. My Old School takes a unique approach to uncovering a genuinely twisty real story, and as a result becomes a documentary that is not to be missed.

In 1993 Glasgow, a 16-year-old boy named Brandon Lee caused a stir when he enrolled in Bearsden Academy, and not only because he arrived mere months after the actor Brandon Lee passed away on the set of The Crow. Brandon quickly stood out among his classmates due to his odd looks, his intriguing background, and his high intellect. It would be some time before Brandon's shocking secret emerged, and when it did, it shook the entire community to its core. Now, decades later, his classmates have reassembled to look back on the stunning event that shaped their school years and offer their own perspective on the story of one Brandon Lee.

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As My Old School makes clear right from the start, Brandon opted to not be shown on camera. McLeod carefully works around this by having beloved Scottish actor Alan Cumming stand-in for Brandon during the talking head portions and lip-sync along with his answers. The result works far better than