American Dreams

After going through a breakup and moving back home (when you're an adult no one wants to put their pride to the side and move back home with their parents), James navigates through a "mid-life crisis". Alot of people will be able to relate to this character and the issues that he goes through throughout the film. While dealing with mental illness and his journey through self healing the dilemmas he faces. He pursues making a feature film (which filmmakers know it's a daunting task in and of itself). It's a fun quirky comedy drama that's just a little over 60 minutes long. Which makes it long enough to feel full but short enough to not overstay its welcome. If you're looking for a fun film to watch with some twists and turns, I say give "American Dreams Redux" a watch. It's a good time and before you know it an hour has passed by. Good job to the team, cast, and crew for delivering a cool project for the masses to enjoy. Kudos.

"At 40 I realized what I wanted most of all was to be a coyote." American Dreams Redux is a poignant tableau of finding oneself in a world that becomes increasingly enigmatic. As humans we can speak, we have ideas and feelings but the further down the road we get, away from the innocence of youth, the more these become detriments. That is until we can find a place where we can make sense of it all. Maybe it's just over the horizon. The sound design and soundtrack in this film are superb. Great cinematography of the American West. It all lends to the continued motif of exploration and searching.

This film resonated with me in many ways. It's a character piece about a man who has never exactly found his place in the world partly due to a sibling relationship that has remained unresolved and prevented the main character from finding his identity. I liked that the performances and situations are mostly understated, avoiding over-the-top melodrama, and remaining coherent to the end. Really enjoyed the subplot where the main character joins up with a friend from his childhood to team up and follow their largely incompatible dreams. Also was interesting how the different generations of the family was contrasted by how religion or other factors defines them. Great indie film to watch!