The Other Side of the Tracks

I am a big fan of A.D. Calvo's approach to the thriller/horror genre precisely because it is craftily understated, subtle, eerie, goose-bumpy, and truly haunting. In a genre where movies are commonly padded with obvious digital special effects, cliché chase scenes, gratuitous gore, and incessant explosions, Other Side of the Tracks sets itself apart by being truly about the story first, before the techniques. It is a carefully conceived and beautifully made psychological thriller whose ending forces one to think back through each scene to try to piece together its full meaning. It stays with the you for a while, and makes you think about your own perceptions, memories, delusions, fantasies, etc.

Gorgeously filmed in rural Connecticut, featuring a particularly powerful performance by Chad Lindberg, and with a beautiful and evocative score by composer Joe Carrano, Other Side of the Tracks is a remarkable debut film from a very talented director, and I'd like to see where he goes next.

I'm glad I didn't see the trailer before watching this film as I would have been even more let down. It is very slow and really has no plot. It is definitely short of any real substance. There is no drama, suspense or energy at all or anywhere in the movie. It started out being a film I could have really enjoyed but as it went on I kept waiting for something, anything to happen. But it didn't. And it's another one of those with a empty ending. The acting was OK but just lacked a story and led to no where. The trailer hits on the only fairly good parts and adds more drama than what the movie represents. It would be OK for a teenager but for adults, I wouldn't recommend at all.

I had never heard of the movie. It was on Showtime when I was dozing on my recliner.

Excellent Acting by Brendan Fehr, Chad Lindberg, Shirley Knight and (wasn't she a genius on Malcolm???) Tania Raymonde.

It may have been written for those of us that watched our loved ones hang on while God is calling them home.

I'm not a touchy feely person but it made me think of my my mom who was a strong loving Canuck. She was proud, always had some mud potion or garlic potion that cured everything. She hung on to life because she knew we needed her love.

So this movie had nothing to do with a mother in Hospice Care. It did bring that all back to me, and strangely comforted me.

I think the writers and actors did their job.

Thanks

A bad director can ruin a film despite the cast and crews best efforts.

The casting was good as regard the main characters but the hot lesbians, whilst pleasing to the eye did the film no favours. I suspected that they were a later addition to spice up what was a rather stilted, poorly directed and edited movie, but it just served to spoil the film further(and this is a straight guy speaking). Anyway, I gathered that this was filmed on a low budget, however the camera work was very good. I am no stranger to film sets so I tend to notice little things. The railway line location they were principally using was disused, obviously so with all the rust, weeds and fallen deadwood. A coat of oil on top of the rails would have covered the rust and given the impression of recent use. An hour weeding, clearing the fallen twigs and uncovering the sleepers would have completed the impression that it was still in use and not just a defunct line to some old sawmill. Brendan Fehr has let himself go since Roswell days. The baggy shirts don't disguise this unfortunately and he walks like someone out of shape too. What would a gorgeous girl like Amelia really find attractive in a back woods short order chef who is his own best customer? Chad Lindberg is not a bad actor but his part smacked of just one take being enough to satisfy Mr A.D. Calvo.

Remake it with a new scriptwriter, with roles for Natassia and Beatrice that contribute to the story. Send Brendan to the gym for three hours a day for a month, and don't let A.D. Calvo direct it again.

This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea; it's a love-it-or-hate-it experience. The performances were commendable, particularly Tanya Raymonde's, which held my fascination. Nevertheless, one must admit that the cinematography and dialogue did leave something to be desired. However, beneath these flaws lies a profound message, not overtly presented but subtly woven throughout, ensuring your involvement till the end. Initially uncertain about the plot, I found that everything was ultimately interconnected harmoniously. This film must be rewatched to fully understand it because a single viewing will not deliver the message. Overall it is a melancholic story about love, loss, and death. In my opinion, it was a good film even with a scant production budget.