Hayseed

Hayseed reels you in from the opening minutes with the mystery at the center of its story about a murdered priest in a small Michigan town. It's impossible to choose a favorite performances amongst a cast of standouts literally top to bottom.

Writer/director Travis Burgess clearly knows how to tell a compelling story, and the entire production team succeeds in crafting a world you want to spend time in as an audience member. Being from a small Michigan town myself, I felt like I knew several of the characters, which only made the story more engrossing. And no spoilers, but the ending is *chef's kiss*

Seek this one out however you can!

This independent, neo-noir whodunnit set in a small Michigan town is was a pleasant surprise!

A cast of mostly unfamiliar actors did a great job, portraying their quirky parts with deft comedy and drama with a smirk, along with the occasional menacing touch. Their fine acting gives dimension to characters often reduced to cardboard-cutout stereotypes. Well written and directed, as well. It has the feel of a film done on a shoestring budget, yet the quality surpasses many big budget or streaming mystery movies.

It is fun with a real murder mystery that grabs your attention and holds it right to the snarky end. It is hard to recommend this little film highly enough.

Writer/director Travis Burgess sets himself a difficult task in Hayseed. It's both a comedy set in a small town in Michigan filled with eccentric characters and a mystery whodunnit. In order for it to work we have to be amused by the proceedings while also making sure that the mystery keeps us guessing and that the resolution makes sense. Fortunately for us, he manages to pull off this juggling act.

If you are looking for CGI and car chases and shoot outs, pass this one up. But if you would like a low-key, laid back, black and white mystery, check this one out.

I'm not not sure why I picked this one on a cold January morning but I'm glad I did.

Check it out.

Hayseed is a fun and compelling mystery seasoned with humor. You won't waste your time with this one and you won't guess who-done-it. The lead actors are top notch and so is the supporting cast, great acting from top to bottom. Filmed in Michigan, it has an authentic midwestern feeling of presence. You will never guess that this film was made during the height of the Covid epidemic. That the film survived is a real tribute to writer director Burgess. We knew nothing about the movie, when seeing it at the Black Bear Film Festival and were quite taken with it. It has a dumb title which no way represents the film. Ignore the title. Sit back with popcorn, a beverage of choice, and enjoy.

There is something incredibly special about Hayseed. I love murder mysteries. This film kept me engaged, reeling me in with it's plot twists and turns. It's humourous yet realistically deals with the tragedy of losing a staple in the community while trying to uncover the truth of what happened.

The writing was phenomenal and the cast was spectacular. The cast did a great job capturing the different types of personalities you'd expect to find in a small Michigan Midwestern town.

Travis, (the writer & director), nailed the story and genre while delivering something unique and original in the creation of this film. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys whodunnit murder mysteries. What I also loved about this film was that despite the subject matter it's family friendly.