Alien Boy: The Life and Death James Chasse

2014 • 90 minutes

About this movie

Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse examines his childhood, his intense involvement in the early Portland punk music scene (The Wipers wrote the song "Alien Boy" about him), the heart-breaking teenage onset of his schizophrenia, and his brave efforts to avoid institutionalization and maintain his independence.

Using interviews, personal writings, archival footage, official documents and videotaped depositions of the involved police officers, the film explores James Chasse's life and the police actions and decisions that led to his death. What emerges is an intimate and complex story of one man's life, the Chasse family's struggle for justice, and a city and a system grappling with accountability.

Ratings and reviews

This is a absolutely amazingly unbelievable, frightening, inhumane, and disturbingly SAD film about police brutality, corruption, and and literally getting away with MURDER! This incident however involves a schizophrenic who did NOTHING! It's hard to watch, what they they put this poor man through! If you know anyone with a mental illness you HAVE to see this. This guy was a pioneer of the punk rock scene, in a band that Kurt Kobain in a interview says was his favorite! It's amazing.

I live in portland and have been beat up by the PPD TWO TIMES MY SELF but by the grace of god i got to live. I am handicapped myself and I still got beat by the police and I got severely beat almost to death in Vancouver Washington so I know kinda how the man might have felt at the time before he was viciously killed. My heart and mind goes out to the loved ones of this man may he rest in peace and my the animals that beat him to death See there day in front of God.