Hayseed

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.

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.

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.

I just watched Hayseed for a third time and each time I'm surprised to see another twist in the plot. It's just a fun movie to see. I was wondering throughout who did it, as my hunches changed many times over during the film. It's a good combination of comedy and intrigue, reminds me of the show Columbo. The movie clips along at a good pace too. There wasn't anytime where it dragged on as I was collecting clues. The fact that it was filmed in my home state of Michigan was also a bonus for me. It's amazing that this is the director/writer's first full feature film. I encourage everyone to see this film!

Either the writing was superb or the actors were great, or both. Whichever it was, I loved the movie. I like how each character was revealed ever so slightly all the way till the end. Additionally, I enjoyed all the small side stories of each characters life outside of the church. It definitely brought it all together. Nothing felt dragged out, and I couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.

I'm recommending it to my friends and family to see and probably go with them one more time to see it. Hayseed is a nice local town mystery that is well written and the characters are perfectly portrayed very well. They felt like someone we could know.