The Flats

It's nice that the characters are interesting and that the entire cast is very good. And it's nice that I did enjoy watching this film. It's photographed beautifully, and the music is very original. But the thing that gets me is how poignant the underlying story is. It's tough for a lot of people in this day and age to grow up and become a responsible adult - especially if the hurdles that life has set up in front of you are pretty high. Coming to terms with who we are, where we come from, and where we are going is very real for all of us, and this film examines what this is like for characters that I think everyone can relate to and care about. Bravo for allowing a good story to take place.

I really enjoyed how the filmmakers framed the shots. They were evocative of other movies,without being obvious enough to stick out. The story was engaging, but had some clunky, heavy, dialogue which at times could break the scene ;especially egregious was the card playing scene towards the beginning, though with more experience I'm sure those types of bump will smooth out. I enjoyed Chad's acting for the most part, though I do hope he stops channeling Matthew Lillard at his worst. I appreciated the organic way in which the story developed and really hope these guys can get funded and continue on to make another feature.

There is all this hype about reality TV and then we go to the movies to watch a drama and it just feels so forced, so fake. This film, which was done on a miniscule Brothers McMullen budget captures what it is to be young and in your twenties with such a force and passion that it is hard to believe it's the first feature from the Requa Bros. Anyone who gets the opportunity to watch this film will be waiting with bated breath to see what they do next, as well as what Chad Lindberg does. His performance is pacino. His performance is mcqueen.

I liked this film very much; it struck me as beautifully crafted and full of subtle emotion. Although the main characters initially seemed different from most of the people in my own life, I found myself very interested in their lives and stories. A few months after seeing this movie, another movie with a similar story line was more broadly released and more critically acclaimed- yet of the two films, I much preferred "The Flats", which seemed to be the prototype for the other. By the end of the movie I felt that I understood the people portrayed, especially the main character; their drama felt so real. Did I mention that I loved the ending?

Chad Lindberg gives his finest performance to date as Harper in the Requa Brothers' under-seen film, "The Flats" and to call it outstanding is no exaggeration. He embodies an over-the-top drunk without acting that way. He is profoundly loyal, wise about people and particularly the friendships he navigates, and loves to learn about life through experience using his contagious, magnetic personality. He's also profoundly sad, unwise about responsibility as well as how to handle undesirable conformity and sacrifice, and can be a shameless womanizer. Lindberg always makes the character his, from convincing drunkenness to convincing friendship.

As easy as it could be to pick apart a low-budget debut film like this, "The Flats" is unique. It may have some rough edges in terms of its script (dialogue and forced and/or clichéd events) and some of its peripheral actors, but it's more than the sum of these parts. In terms of movies about American youth, "The Flats" has heart and more closely resembles the emotional subtlety of "The Last Picture Show" rather than trying to be one of the numerous brainless movies about superficial youths living superficial lives in typical cities. And it's not lacking humor either.

These are all characters who come together organically with believable chemistry as a group of close friends but all face a certain isolation: from societal norms, from taking chances outside of them, from family, from finding love, or even from their own heritage and ancestral culture. The film uses its unique geography as another character (also like "The Last Picture Show") as well as its unique subcultures to elevate itself to uniqueness, authenticity, and heartfelt emotion despite its imperfections. This film took me by surprise. Hopefully the Requa Brothers will take another stab at a film, and hopefully Chad Lindberg (who seems usually relegated to roles in either small films like "The Flats" or smaller roles in poor ones) finally gets the chance to show his talent to a larger audience to get the appreciation he deserves.