My Friend Dahmer

Review by Bob Ignizio

It’s funny how a movie adaptation of a book can be faithful in very many ways, and yet still wind up missing the heart and soul of its source material. Such is the case with MY FRIEND DAHMER, adapted from the graphic novel by Clevelander John “Derf” Backderf. It’s an autobiographical tale in which Derf (played in the film by Alex Wolff) recounts his high school semi-friendship with Jeff Dahmer (Ross Lynch), who would go on to become one of the most infamous serial killers in American history.

At the time, Dahmer just seemed like a harmless weirdo whose bizarre antics provided Derf and his friends with a source of amusement. They made Dahmer a mascot of sorts, encouraging his odd disruptive behavior. Eventually, though, the fun came to an end as Jeff's dark side became more apparent. This was most obvious in his level of alcohol consumption, which even in the party hearty era of the seventies seemed excessive, and clearly not done for fun.

GCFC Welcomes "My Friend Dahmer" to Cleveland

[Press release from the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.]

CLEVELAND, OH - (August 23, 2016) - The Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC) is excited to announce that the feature film "My Friend Dahmer" has been shooting at locations throughout Northeast Ohio.

Based on the book by Derf Backderf, "My Friend Dahmer" tells the story of the Ohio high school years of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The film stars Vincent Kartheiser ("Mad Men", "Casual"), Anne Heche ("Donnie Brasco", "Six Days Seven Nights") and as young Jeffrey Dahmer, Ross Lynch ("Austin & Ally", "Muppets Most Wanted"). Marc Meyers ("How He Fell In Love", "Harvest") is directing from his own screenplay. Aperture Entertainment and Ibid Filmworks are producing the film.

"More and more films are shooting in greater Cleveland," said GCFC President Ivan Schwarz, "and we attribute that not only to our amazing variety of locations and our local production professionals, but to the community spirit that productions experience when they arrive."

GCFC is the only nonprofit dedicated to bringing jobs and economic impact to Northeast Ohio by supporting a thriving and adaptive local media industry. Since 2009, the State of Ohio has seen over $400 million in economic impact and created more than 1,700 full-time equivalent jobs thanks to media production. With the news last spring of state funding for a standalone film school at Cleveland State University, and a bill in the Ohio House of Representatives that increased the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit to $40 million annually (up from $20 million), 2016 has been an exciting year for Northeast Ohio's burgeoning media industry.