This film will inspire anyone with a dream to make movies--with a smartphone. A lot of filmmakers are looking at how smartphone filmmaking is advancing in the film industry by criticizing the aesthetics of films and comparing them to traditional cameras used by the industry. I think it's a missed opportunity for mobile filmmakers looking for inspiration. Filmmaking is storytelling. Part of storytelling in film brings everything to the forefront: aesthetics, cinematic value, locations, cinematography, sound, etc. The story in this film is king. The story in "storytelling" is king.
Don't watch this film to compare cameras but instead compare the story and the style of the director who made a film with great cinematic value on top of the fact that Stef Harris (writer and director) grabs you from the beginning and keeps you in suspension throughout the telling of this story. The acting from the main characters like Jed Brophy and Mark Hadlow help give this dialogue heavy film a character of it's own. Without having to re-create flashbacks, the film does a good job establishing the history between the characters through character development. It brings the viewer closer and closer with each scene.
The cinematography of this film is in many ways unique to what one who takes it seriously can accomplish only with a smartphone. The film was shot with an iPhone but you need not use a particular brand to shoot a feature film. A great accomplishment to have shot a great feature film of about 85 minutes using a small crew, limited time and one single main location.
By the way, I am a supporter of this crew after watching their film. I am not biased on the film. I base my review solely on the film itself after watching it and listening to Stef Harris and Jed Brophy share their backstory on my podcast.
