Alan Cumming stands in for a legendary student of Glasgow’s Bearsden Academy in My Old School. In 1993, a new student named Brandon Lee enrolled in Bearsden Academy, a posh high school in the rich end of Glasgow. Claiming to be a Canadian, who moved in with his grandmother after the death of his opera star mother, Lee quickly becomes a star student and even gets a starring role in the school musical. However, a shocking truth is revealed about Brandon that completely shocks his classmates.
My Old School is a documentary directed by Jono McLeod, who was a student at Bearsden Academy at the time Brandon Lee enrolled in the school. Accompanied by Daria-inspired animated reenactments, the former students and teachers of Bearsden Academy recall Brandon Lee’s time at the school, with actor Alan Cumming, who was once pegged to direct and star in a fictional biopic about Brandon, standing in to lipsync to an audio interview provided by the real Brandon Lee.
My Old School is an incredibly entertaining stranger-than-fiction hybrid documentary that mixes the live-action interviews with animated reenactments. It is probably best to watch My Old School knowing as little as possible about the real Brandon Lee and the big reveal about him. While the involvement of Alan Cumming alone is sure to attract people to the film, on its own My School School is still a must-watch documentary about one very memorable student.
