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I Think We're Alone Now

Name: I Think We're Alone Now
Director: Sean Donnelly
Released: 2008
Duration: 64 min

Representation Score

7.3/10

Good

2008

Not Rated

Director

Sean Donnelly

Runtime

64 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Sean Donnelly’s documentary succeeds as a sophisticated character study that challenges the boundaries of normalcy. By centering on neurodivergent and intersex individuals, the film explores complex human connections. The strength of the film lies in its refusal to treat underrepresented identities as plot devices. Jeff Turner and Kelly McCormick are granted significant roles in driving the narrative, allowing their internal logic and lived realities to shape the story rather than serving as mere objects of curiosity. However, the film remains limited by its narrow demographic scope. The focus on a specific, predominantly white social landscape results in a lack of racial and ethnic diversity within the presented environment.

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Category Breakdown

Does I Think We're Alone Now have LGBTQ+ representation?

Good

The film centers on Kelly McCormick, an intersex woman, integrating her identity into her personal history. This approach avoids treating her existence as a mere spectacle, offering a nuanced look at non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth identities.

How does I Think We're Alone Now portray gender?

Fair

The documentary challenges traditional masculine clichés through Jeff Turner's vulnerability. His struggle with social scripts disrupts conventional expectations of assertive, dominant male performance.

How racially and ethnically diverse is I Think We're Alone Now?

Limited

The subjects inhabit a predominantly white, Western social landscape. The narrative focuses on celebrity obsession within a localized American context rather than utilizing diverse ethnic ensembles.

How does I Think We're Alone Now represent religion and culture?

Good

The film critiques rigid media judgments by reframing 'stalkers' through an empathetic lens. It prioritizes the subjects' subjective truths over standardized social norms and institutional moralism.

Does I Think We're Alone Now include disability representation?

Excellent

Jeff Turner's Asperger's syndrome is presented as a fundamental part of his worldview. The film grants him a significant role in driving the story, avoiding the pitfalls of 'inspiration porn.'

Present on Screen

Provides a nuanced, non-spectacular portrayal of an intersex woman's lived experience.
Grants neurodivergent subjects a significant role in driving the narrative rather than using them for pity.
Challenges traditional masculine clichés by highlighting vulnerability and social friction.

Limited or Absent

Lacks racial and ethnic diversity, focusing on a predominantly white social landscape.
The narrow demographic scope limits the breadth of cultural representation.

Official Synopsis

Every celebrity deals with his or her share of obsessed fans. "I Think We're Alone Now" is a documentary that focuses on two individuals, Jeff and Kelly, who claim to be in love with the 80's pop singer Tiffany. Jeff Turner, a 50-year-old man from Santa Cruz, California has attended Tiffany concerts since 1988. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, he never had a girlfriend. Jeff spends his days hanging out on the streets of Santa Cruz, striking up conversations with anyone who has a moment to spare. Kelly McCormick is a 38-year-old intersex woman from Denver, Colorado, who claims to have been friends with Tiffany as a teenager. She credits Tiffany as the shining star who has motivated her to do everything in her life. Both Jeff and Kelly have been labeled stalkers by the media and other Tiffany fans. This film takes you inside the lonely lives these two characters, revealing the source of their clinging obsessions...

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