“What We Do Is Secret” is a biopic on Darby Crash, lead singer of the Germs and (according to most punk aficionados) the “founding father of Punk Rock.  The film focuses on the last five years of Darby Crash’s short life; it begins with the retelling of Crash’s great five-year plan to start a band, gain notoriety and then commit suicide. The film ends with Darby Crash’s expert execution of this very plan.

A highly intelligent yet troubled young man; Darby Crash opts to leave school to start a punk band. After assembling the right characters for his band, the Germs begin playing gigs around Los Angeles. Strung out on heroin, Crash purposely cuts himself on stage, destroys equipment and initiates violent fights. Over the course of several years the Germs are systematically banned from every venue in Los Angeles due to Crash’s performance antics. In the last leg of the film, Crash escapes to Europe and returns for one last Germs performance before finalizing his five-year itinerary.

“What We Do is Secret” took Rodger Grossman 15 years to make. A self proclaimed “second generation punk fan,” Grossman formed the idea for the script right out of film school and spent more than a decade researching and writing with the help of Crash’s best friend, Michelle Bear.

An inspiration for low budget filmmakers, Grossman shot the first 15 days before running out of funds. Grossman then fundraised and shot another 3 days worth of footage before running out of money a second time. Then another 3 days, then another. “We filmed it guerilla style… we were working on locations without permits. Sometimes we’d look for an owner to get a permit but there just wouldn’t be anyone around… so we’d shoot the scene without the permit,” said Grossman. This manner of filmmaking resulted in a gritty, realistic, documentary style film; precisely what Grossman was aiming for.
Grossman was passionate about portraying Darby Crash’s world realistically. Actors were required to learn Germ songs before filming performance scenes. Actress Bijou Phillips, who plays bassist Lorna Doom, said “…we rehearsed everyday for two weeks. It was hard to play because I had to tape up all my fingers… because of the blisters.”

Shane West (Darby Crash) walked around set for days with chipped veneers on his teeth; West read Nitchzie and various fascist documents just to hone the character. It was this commitment to the individuals and events in the story that makes the film so compelling.

It not just the actors who do a wonderful job of drawing you into Crash’s world, its also the fantastically accurate and detailed costumes; the look and feel of this film really is Los Angeles circa 1977. “What We Do is Secret” is a worthwhile film, even die-hard punk fans are sure to enjoy this raucous adventure.