As others have said, huge congratulations for producing a quality film on a small budget. Like the dialogue a lot, intelligence behind it, nuances where the less said shows more meaning. Like the cinemaphotography. Sound, really good. Thank you actors for no mumbling, slurring, or swallowing the last halves of your sentences. Great foreshadowing, both action and theme lines, in the first meeting at the indoor sky diving, then the repeat of the physical move later. Loved the tie in with a nickname which jumped out at me like a flea-bit scorpion when it was first said. Great ending. Some reviewers mentioned the slower pace, which I think is appropriate for the theme of this film. These are only a few of the quality details I spotted; I could probably find more on subsequent viewings.
At the very beginning, if you're paying attention, you can guess immediately it's going to be Ben's story, and what it is. A bit later into the film, Ben's story unfolds, and the opening is confirmed. Now I understand what I should feel about him and why. I can connect with Ben. That isn't the case with another main character, Trent. Some may think he's a protagonist; he is not. To me, Trent is a symbol, a McGuffin in a sense, that ultimately leads to the expected ending we so want, and get. We don't have to know anything about Trent, the mysterious "it", another McGuffin, he may have or why the baddies want "it" so much. For me, Trent is a well written deceit. If you know your theatre and literature, and watch this film with attention to detail, you'll see how all the elements end with each of the characters having a reasonable ending based on their own character traits and actions, with a small circumstance of Fate thrown in because, after all, Fate is often a role in drama. I, too, as others have said, will keep watch for more from Nicholas James and James Thomas. I love good scripts, and, to me, this one is superbly crafted.
