I have to say that I was impressed by this small but very well done independent movie, which I saw at test screening in Los Angeles. The story is original and different and keeps you wondering and intrigued all the way to the end. It makes a strong point on focusing on a social message of how some people who get bullied as kids always have to carry their insecurities with them throughout life. But,this movie is for sure not for everyone. To relate to the story it's important to both have a good knowledge of the mentality in big cities such as Los Angeles and a good understanding of irony.
The actors do a great job with their characters. The best performances are by Sean Young (Brenda) and Christian Schoyen (Jonathan) who plays the immigrant. Both of these two main characters come across as believable and likable. Larry Drake as the insurance man and Danny Trejo also pull it off. Jeff Conaway's and Marilia Pera's performances are funny and adds flavor to the movie.
The technical quality of this low budget movie, which according to IMDb only had a production budget of $350,000.- is superior to many other much bigger budget movies out there. The director of photography has done an excellent job and I could not find one technical flaw when watching it. The same was with the sound, which is crystal clear throughout. The music by Daniel Tanzig and Felipe Grytz is settled and only plays when needed in the background. It never collides with the dialogue and makes you focus on the story and the characters.
The directors; Allan Fiterman and Christian Schoyen bring to the big screen a refreshing and interesting story. It's good to see that they have been successful in staying true to one style (drama) throughout the movie. Being a fan of unique and original independent movies I will give Living the Dream 9 out of 10 points.
