Alien Boy: the Life and Death of James Chasse

Alien Boy: The Life and Death of James Chasse is an American feature-length documentary film, released in 2013 and directed by Brian Lindstrom. The film explores issues of police accountability in the case of James Chasse, a man with schizophrenia who was killed by Portland, Oregon police officers in 2006. The title refers to a song about him, "Alien Boy" by the Wipers.

In Family of James Chasse v City of Portland, Judge Garr King[1] added the film to the case gag order and was asked by Portland city attorneys for a change of venue based on teasers for Alien Boy. The case was settled in 2011 for $1.6 million and instructed an investigation by the Department of Justice which found the Portland Police Bureau "engages in a pattern or practice of excessive force" against persons with mental illness.[2] Prior settlements in 2009 included $925,000 from Multnomah County and a reported $600,000 from American Medical Rescue. Members of Portland City Council agreed with DOJ findings in a settlement signed in November 2012.[3]

The film was produced by the Mental Health Association of Portland, a nonprofit advocacy organization[4] and distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures.[5]

Alien Boy: the Life and Death of James Chasse premiered[6] at the Portland International Film Festival in February 2013.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] It is an official selection of the 2013[15] Big Sky Documentary Film Festival,[16] Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Film Festival, Cinema Pacific Film Festival (Eugene, Oregon), Astoria International Film Festival, Local Sightings Film Festival (Seattle),[17] and Rendezvous With Madness (Toronto).[18]

The film was reviewed in a number of publications including the Seattle Weekly,[19] The Seattle Times,[20] and The Stranger.[21] Rotten Tomatoes rates the film 87%.[22]