I first saw Realm of Never: Moratorium on television and then at a screening at the Malverne Cinemas 4, the last and best offering that evening. It even prompted Master of Ceremonies, Don Lewis, to comment: "That was more dialogue than we heard all night. I'd like to shake that writer's hand!" And he did. What I really kept thinking about was how something originally produced for television made such an effective transformation to the big screen. Imagine seeing an episode of E/R or CSI in a movie theatre. It might appear larger, but it would still be a TV program on a movie screen and slightly out of place. Realm of Never Moratorium is one of the exceptions that works in both mediums, because it is art, a concentration on the dramatic fundamentals, rather than a mad attempt to entertain. Given the background for the entire Realm of Never series, that is no understatement. It is produced for under five hundred, yes, five HUNDRED dollars, in a community access studio in Queens, New York. Not exactly an auspicious debut for a director of Christopher Del Gaudio's potential. He reinterprets the genre of teleplay and shoots this live with three cameras, just like in the days of live dramatic television. He takes these barriers, shapes them into another dimension, and turns his limitations into artistry. The scenes in Moratorium are shot mostly in close up, with the hint of a background setting, adding to the claustrophobic feeling and encroaching danger. The script and the acting takes over from there and doesn't let go until the end. It was no casual decision of DelGaudio's to cast Darren O'Hare in the lead. This is an actor to watch carefully. Having appeared in several Realm of Nevers, Del Gaudio was well aware of his range and crafted a role that wrung it for all it was worth. Jacqueline Muro, as the doctor, though more restrained, was every bit his equal, and Joanne Antonucci, one of the Realms most recognizable faces, rounded up the rear. I think it was James Lipton who said that if you've got strong acting and a strong script, you could mount a show against a blue screen and it would still work. But why then, may I ask, does the output of bigger budget films ignore that creed? Perhaps, Mr. DelGaudio had the answer to my question and didn't feel the need to do this. His intention might have been to tell a good story and not compete with the formulas, but opposite them. It is on that premise that Realm of Never: Moratorium succeeds. If you're going to judge in the same league as a big budget action adventure flick, don't even bother seeing it. You'll miss the point. But if you do see it and you allow yourself to think, you'll get much more. The Realm of Never is a distinctive achievement in the visual arts and should stand as a prime example of fine acting, writing, and a director's ingenuity in delivering quality workmanship under the sparest of circumstances.
