My Old School

My Old School is a 2022 documentary directed by Jono McLeod on the subject of the Brandon Lee scandal. In 1995, it was discovered that "Brandon Lee"—who had a year earlier enrolled as a fifth-year student at Bearsden Academy secondary school in Bearsden, Scotland—had actually been a 30-year-old former student, Brian MacKinnon, posing as a 16-year-old. The story attracted widespread and sensational news coverage at the time. McLeod, the film's director, was one of MacKinnon's peers at Bearsden Academy. The story of MacKinnon's time at Bearsden and his unmasking are told through a combination of present-day interviews with MacKinnon's classmates and teachers, cartoon recreations, and archival footage. MacKinnon agreed to be interviewed for the film, but did not wish to appear on camera, so the actor Alan Cumming appears as an avatar for MacKinnon, lip syncing to the audio of his interviews. The film premiered virtually at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Plot My Old School tells the story of MacKinnon's time at Bearsden and subsequent outing and media coverage in chronological order. His fellow pupils describe him as looking older than them and having a deeper voice. One expresses surprise that he has the same enrolment name as Bruce Lee's recently deceased son, Brandon. A former teacher says they understood he had been in a car crash and this was why his skin looked older. His strange accent was explained by his having lived in Canada. A black pupil describes experiencing racism and violence at school but 'Brandon' was friends with him and helped him with homework.