Wake Before I Die

Modern and yet reminiscent of a Val Lewton thriller, this depiction of the age old battle between light and shadow, good and evil, hits the bull's eye through crisp narrative and cinematic style. Every performances is "spot on" perfect from the true to life depiction of family life in a church parsonage to the brooding underbelly of a cult gone mad. It takes its time, introducing the characters, endearing them to the audience before they are thrown into the midst of potential harm. The effect is spellbinding, drawing the viewers into a dreamlike world where almost anything can happen and sometimes does. Dig deep into the popcorn, take an extra long drag from the soda cup, and get ready for an entertaining experience amongst dancing cinematic shadows with this one! IT SHOULD BE NOTED that I originally wrote this review following the Cast & Crew showing last year. I must admit, since I've seen the completed film, I find it to be even more pleasing. Of course I am the Father of the filmmakers. But, I'm a Dad who has a rich history in all things cinema, and after 65 years I certainly know a good movie when I see it. No matter who made it.

To say this movie is not for everyone would be an understatement. As stated in other reviews it definitely takes its time telling the story and that in and of itself explains my point. Some people like quickly paced fast cutting movies that are quirky and off the wall. I do as well... But this is not one of those movies. This movie is an old school throwback to times when a shot could hold on a screen for more than 5 seconds and indulge in the awesome faces of the incredible cast and I really dug it. I think the filmmakers did a great job telling a faith based story... That doesn't pander to "Christians" or "non- Christians" but instead focuses on an universally terrifying story with great characters that just happen to be Christians. Can't wait to see where these guys go from here!

As an outsider of Portland's film community, I feel my voice carries some merit in reviewing this film. I should also mention I review films for a living…but to be honest, to review this film would be a big waste of time. I will say the film itself is a big pile of crap. The music was about the worst of it, blaring at deafening volumes to cover moments of absent story. As an avid film watcher (part of my job), I watch a lot of movies: low budget, to even B movies. But faith-based movies go into their own category and cannot be measured by the standard of regular films -- they are in fact, baby-food for the film illiterate. Faith based movies are among some of the worst movies I've ever seen (stand back Tommy Wiseau), often catering to a lesser educated, superstitious audience who find entertainment in the most juvenile of movie plots. Again, I won't bore you with the irritating details but after I saw these other reviews, I felt it was my integrity to say the truth; these other reviewers are clearly family members or friends of the cast, because no normal film-goer would ever give this movie 10 stars…I mean Shawshank doesn't even have that many 10 star reviews. C'mon people, this movie was a joke…a bad one.

With "Wake Before I Die,"The Brothers Freeman have crafted a great faith-based suspense drama, not straight out of Hollywood, but straight from the heart of Oregon. The film, based on their father's book, is the sometimes rambling story of a small town preacher and his family - filled with great expectations - as they move into a new parish. Early on, Pastor Dan (Robert McKeehen) is warned that the town is strange and he may not make it out alive. The question is - Why? With all the expectations that preface sets up, we begin a journey with Pastor Dan, his wife (Aubrey Walker) and their two children as they get acquainted with the town, where everything appears as normal and All-American as apple pie (at least on the surface). But when one of Dan's parishioners asks the Pastor to take in his teen age daughter (Nouel Riel), things take a definite turn toward the weird (after all, Portland is famous for its streak of weird). But as one who has admired the work of the Brothers Kendrick ("Fireproof" and "Face the Giants") I can say without any hesitation, this Freeman Brothers film stands tall in the faith based arena. Their direction is organic. Performances from the large cast of Oregon actors are polished and believable. And the cinematography (also by the Brothers Freeman) serves the story faithfully. What does the film have to do with Rosemary's Baby? You'll have to see it to find out. But rest assured, this is one suspense drama you'll be able to take the whole family to see. Rated G for God Darn Good Fun.

I thought one of the best parts of this film was the young actor who played the pastor's son. Finding a watchable, and BELIEVABLE, child actor who can carry so much screen time is a challenge in itself, let alone in a smaller city like Portland where the infrastructure is not yet in place to churn out the hordes of well-trained young stars-aspirant that directors have access to in LA, for instance. So kudos to Elijah Nelson for his performance, and to the filmmakers for casting him.

Not a filmmaker myself, I refuse to really speak to the film's more technical aspects...besides saying that MAKING A GOOD MOVIE IS HARD, why don't YOU try it and then come back and spout opinions! I am proud of our local boys for using the Opif to create something fitting for mainstream cinema, with professional production values all around. I think many of the deficiencies mentioned by our aspiring film critics (like spotty writing, over-scoring, etc.) are typical pitfalls of a film that is written, directed, edited, and produced all by the same team of people. To quote a favorite acting teacher of mine, they "fall in love with their own material," and have a hard time taking the axe to their product to really whittle it into something marketable, concise, and of quality. As the local industry grows, however, I am sure filmmakers will be able to avoid this trap more and more often. Oregon has such a talented and qualified pool of film workers that second and third opinions can't help but start to mean something.