We had a chance to screen Ryan Balas' debut feature film Sandcastles today on a flatscreen digital TV (god's gift to digital filmmakers). The film is about the arc of a relationship. But there is a slight twist: the arc is conveyed through a few relationships instead of one. The characters are connected thru their neighborhood apartment. Ryan calls it a dramady. I call it a delight.
5 minutes in we were involved in the story. If you happen to be a fan of Balas' Youtube sensation "The Really Cool Show," you will especially be surprised at the departure from comedic performance, especially when you view the more down to earth, natural performances of Ryan Balas, and Deirdre Herlihy, who play Brian and Maddy. Deirdre is always very good with the way she uses her eyes to convey whats going on inside; furthermore, its Ryan who was also surprising by revealing to us that his character on The Really Cool Show is merely a heightened, somewhat over-the-top version of himself. Here he has several real moments as an actor, including one where in one shot, we see a beat with just him listening - Acting 101. In addition, I only wished we had another 15 minutes of the film to see more of Herlihy, who promises to give us some more interesting and inspired work in the future. And also, as you will see, her subtly comic timing packs a hell of a "crunch." Another real standout in the film was actress Jessica Pierson as Alex. Sandcastles was surprisingly her first film project, although you would never guess by her natural presence on screen. If I had to choose a favorite couple , it would be Brian and Alex, as their chemistry seems to exist as much outside of the bedroom, as well as inside of it. Their improv reminded me why improv is so special in the first place. Because thats the way we speak. We speak over each other, but yet, we seem to occasionally manage to make good points.
