I had the opportunity to see this movie at the Hollywood Black Film Festival this year and I was completely blow away. I had never heard of it or it's director (safe to say I have googled the hell out of both now). The story, about the home lives of prostitutes, takes urban cinema to an entirely new level. There are no stars in the film and the story is completely plot driven and I could tell that was a strategic move by the director.
What also makes this film fascinating is the incredible acting. I've seen very few independent films where the acting was so strong. Usually, when the cinematography is good, the acting and story line usually suffer - but not with this film. I enjoyed looking at it just as much as I enjoyed the performances. One character in particular, Ms. Jean, was the bomb! Her performance was so belly-over funny that I'm sure Hollywood has no idea what they are missing.
There were some spots in there that could be improved. At times the lighting was a little dark and the beginning was a little slow. But honestly, I didn't mind that, because once it got going, it was gone! The director, DeAara Lewis, was very informative and outgoing, and all of the cast was there as well. You could tell that they have all formed a bond and she even said that they made pact - whoever makes it first will bring the others along. That was very refreshing to hear in a city where it's all about dog-eat-dog.
This movie and this director is truly being slept on. And DeAara did mention she's planning a huge, unconventional campaign, so I really hope that it reaches it's audience because this is a movie that can hold it's own against a lot of studio films.
