This is the 2nd film with Blayne Weaver that I saw at the Vail Film Festival, the other being Weaver's own "Cut to the Chase" that he wrote/directed/acted in. In this one, he was just an actor and it was quite interesting to see him play a different type of role. He and one of the other main actors, Tate Hanyok, were terrific in their performance and absolutely sold their characters. The writing was so sharp and the deliveries were so natural that I probably could have watched a whole film of just these two, ala Before Sunrise. The film starts off a little slower and the long opening scene covers some of the themes and starts the chain of events of running into different people and seeing their connections and how it causes their lives to change. About 3 scenes in, the film started to deviate from what I expected that it was going to be and by the time it got to a criminal story, it was shocking in all the right ways. It was one of the most powerful sequences in the entire film save for a heartbreaking and beautiful hospital scene. Another standout story is a wonderful scene of a teenage relationship that was so innocent and heartfelt that I could not stop grinning.
The acting was impressive for a low budget film and I often expect some lackluster performances mixed in with some gems but the many important speaking roles in this film were very well done. The most memorable were Weaver and Hanyok, the sister, the bearded guy from the crime scene, and the cop. Each of the characters in the film felt like individuals which is a testament to both the strong script and the performers themselves.
There is some very beautiful camera-work and movement at times and then other times it is a little basic where the camera is more static and lets the dialogue unfold for a lengthy period. I am not sure if some of that was due to budgetary reasons or a creative choice. I do think the lighting could have been more dynamic at times.
The music reminded me of the Garden State soundtrack in the way that it utilized a variety of songs perfectly in the scenes and made me want to seek out a bunch of new bands I am not familiar with. I almost pulled my phone out to take shots of the songs in the end credits so I could look them up. The songs and score were a major highlight of the film and there are numerous moments where we are left with just the music and the visuals to really bring us closer to some of the characters and their situations.
This film is the exact reason I love coming to festivals and finding that one indie movie or two that touches me and surprises me and reminds me why I love films so much. I hope this film finds the wide release it deserves.
