Alison

I saw 'Alison' at its premiere at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, and was immediately taken by several things -- it's thoughtful pacing, its incredible cinematography, and its emotional performance by Lauren Fortuna as the main character. There were lots of long takes, which I find refreshing in this age of quick edits, and it really allowed the performers to stretch out and use their gifts to pull you in. The story is fairly minimalist -- a pregnant lady leaves her husband and deals with the fallout -- but the way the director staged the movie and the way the cast made it work helped it rise to a level of involvement not usually seen in micro-budget films. Quiet and understated, 'Alison' asks you to really pay attention and actually become involved in the story. It's almost like a foreign film in its intelligence and its pacing (which some might find a bit slow). But its very well done, and I look forward to seeing Fortuna in her next movie.