Black Fly

I was quite impressed with this independent film, which was shot in my home landscape. I've met the director, and know the budget was under $1 million and was shot in 14 days. But the scope of the story was a smart match for this budget; it never felt crippled, nor low-budget. The quality was high throughout.

Black Fly is very well directed, written, acted, filmed, edited, and scored. I was deeply engaged in the narrative from the beginning to the end, worried about the characters, and not able to predict what would happen next.

The landscape was very familiar to me, and was a rich aspect of the film, whether it was the interiors of the home, the forest, or workplace scenes. It was beautifully filmed, while being honest to the landscape, and this gave a rich atmosphere to the story.

Each of the performances were strong. In particular I was engaged by the older brother's performance (Noel, played by Matthew MacCaull), who reminded me of real people I knew in my youth!

I also appreciated the theme of the story, the younger brother try to find a home which was healthy, as best as he could in a very broken situation.