Separation

Making an indie feature length film is extraordinarily difficult, and this is very good film and much better than its 5/10 IMDb rating would suggest.

Albeit low budget, and with with some art direction and cinematic choices that reflect that. Nonetheless, it is a surprisingly strong script, with some excellent lead performances, and a nuanced direction.

It starts a little slow, but finishes very well, and its well worth taking the time to watch. I challenge anyone to watch the entire film, and say it does not deserve to rate higher than 5.0, or that watching it was not time well spent.

I watched this on the recommendation of a friend, who saw it promoted on Facebook. It's so painfully bad, I feel my friend owes me two hours of life. The writing lacks authenticity, the characters are superficial and the direction totally sucks. Each shot is so damn obvious, I feel like director Greg White should have subtitled it with 'feel shocked now', 'feel sympathy now'. The brooding male lead has some good moments, but frankly, the script is so weak he never stops being two-dimensional.

Cheap camera work.. how many significant close-ups on inanimate objects can one person tolerate? Skip it and rent 'Basic Instinct' or 'Seven'. These films have a similar tension, but they are done with far more imagination, better camera work and more believable characters.

The average rating on here does not do this film justice AT ALL. I will explain why. This film is a true suspense. It's not intended to be an action movie with an explosion every 30 seconds for people with ADD that need instant gratification. It's not a Friday the 13th slasher flick with jumpy scares and gore. Because it is truly a "suspense", yes you have to be a little patient, as the tension builds and key elements of the story progress. For this reason alone, a small handful of people have given a very low rating that dragged down the average. But that's only because they were looking for something this film is not. What it is, is a true psychological thriller. It takes time to show the development of the story, but in the end it's really worthwhile and comes together in a way you never guessed. As soon as the mind-blowing ending happens, you'll want to watch the whole thing again to catch the all the hidden meanings.

If you read the external reviews on here, you will see why critics love this film. I am a film critic myself, and was hoping to write a review formally about Separation, but I changed publications and at my new one, someone already wrote about it (glowing review, might I add).

The actors are spectacular, the way the plot slowly burns (with it's slightly evolving perspective) is innovative, and very well written. The characters have many layers and that's part of what's so unique and interesting. I highly advise you avoid any plot spoilers or trailers.

All you need to do is go in with an open mind (which is the best way to experience ANY film) and just let Separation tell its story. People get annoyed with M Night Shyamalan because "it wasn't what I expected", but if you go into a film already deciding what it should be, where's the fun in being wowed or taken by surprise? These are the same people who would complain if it was predictable. So all I'm saying is, don't go in with preconceived notions. Don't even watch a trailer. Just give it some patience and I guarantee you will be rewarded with a original, smart, interesting and highly worthwhile film you will be pondering and telling your friends about for weeks.

When I was done watching it I wanted to give it an 8 but then I was thinking about it later and kept realizing clues and hints... And when a film leaves such an impression on me that I want to tell everyone about it, that's the sign it's a 9.

Do give it a chance, it's a first-rate indie film that deserves plenty of attention and praise.

This is a weird and very unsatisfying movie. For like 75 minutes it's making you more and more confused, because nothing that happens seems to make any sense. And then, wham, in the last 5 minutes they suddenly come up with the answer for all the weirdness. Now there are many movies and directors that play with confusion and twists, and let you only gradually grasp what is happening (Night Shyamalan for instance). But they at least provide an entertaining and involving movie in advance of the ultimate solution. Here it's all just plain weird and incomprehensible. Add to that the snails pace, the lack of hardly any dialogue, and the sudden boults of equally incomprehensible flashbacks, and the result is (at least to me), an annoying and superfluous movie. And a waist of Sarah Manninen and Peter Stebbings, who act great.

I'm a lover of Indie films and a follower of Dread Central. So when I read Scott Hallem's review I had to watch this film. I couldn't agree more with how he felt about this film. Separation was such an unexpected surprise I actually watched it again to see what I may have missed the first time around. Greg White tells a story with this film and true to the world of independent film makers made me continue to want to watch. The actors all have great credits to their names, just check them out on their IMDb pages to see for yourselves. I look forward to seeing more films from Birchmount Entertainment. If your a fan of true Indie flicks take a look at this film.