at an independent film festival. That the comic murder mystery/romance movie is now being shown at Bermuda's independent film festival must delight writer and director Evan Oppenheimer by adding another dimension. His layering of realities puts many genres to work and offers a broad range of opportunity for a range of broad humour.

"We all have a passion -- maybe not a talent, but a passion -- to make films,'' says the prime suspect in the murders of several film independent film directors at the festival. They are among a group of film-makers who are showing films at the Mike Wong film festival. Each worked with film-maker Wong on the film during which he was killed; the festival is a tribute to his memory.

One by one, as the film-makers' entries in the festival are being shown, they start to die in ways associated with their role in Wong's last film. The killer is clearly among the film festival crowd, but who is it? The British docu-maker, George Sand -- an under-stated, Michael Palin-style performance from Alan Cox -- holds the whole thing together, as he is sucked into his subject and finally becomes its star.

The other film-makers are a bunch of stereotypes lovingly portrayed in their variously manic ways by young actors and actresses who must themselves have recently emerged from film school with a burning desire to make art. Amin Shimerman delivers a thoroughly professional performance as policeman Inspector Blank.

The Auteur Theory is densely-packed, flipping from a framing tale about the British Broadcasting Corporation to documentary to just plain movie.

Oppenheimer made and includes eight films within the film within his film. The mood accordingly switches from light comedy to spoof and satire, in order to fill out what, over 80 minutes, risks becoming an over-extended joke.

The lasting memory this film offers is of a compendium of student film and film festival humour. Don't be distracted by the way the whole thing is framed, with Sand pitching his film idea at the BBC. The device doesn't really work, gets in the way of the story and provides an unnecessarily weak ending.

Otherwise, it's not a bad film. By making film festivals its subject, Mr.

Oppenheimer has increased his chances of succeeding in getting his film shown at film festivals. Which may be his last laugh.

ROGER CROMBIE REVIEW REV MOVIES MPC