This was an interesting first film. Like many indie films, the editing pace is a bit slow, so I might suggest watching something else if you need the quick pace of Hollywood to think a film is good. The transitions from scene to scene can be abrupt at times.
The story is actually interesting and has a couple of fairly unique twists. It's not often that a fledgling male director undertakes a story of female empowerment. It's thought-provoking that all the male characters are flawed in some way.
The writing is weak in points, but overall the dialogue is solid and believable. I definitely felt some bits were missing... needed a little more character development. Cast is entirely first-time actors except for one member, and they do a remarkable job making the moments real, so I can't fault them for the whole story not quite holding together. Of special interest is an appearance by Tom Maxwell, just before his rise in The Squirrel Nut Zippers. In fact, the movie soundtrack includes the original versions of a few songs from SNZ's first gold record.
Overall, the most interesting thing is that this director approached his film-making in the reverse order of the norm. Most folks work on others' projects, then a few shorts of their own, and finally launch a feature-length effort. This feature was his first, and I know he's followed it with a few heartfelt shorts. Don't know if you can still see those shorts anywhere, but I recommend them. He did a great job of getting his actors to their best performances. I absolutely love Kristin Leigh in "Oh, Boy!".
The story is actually interesting and has a couple of fairly unique twists. It's not often that a fledgling male director undertakes a story of female empowerment. It's thought-provoking that all the male characters are flawed in some way.
The writing is weak in points, but overall the dialogue is solid and believable. I definitely felt some bits were missing... needed a little more character development. Cast is entirely first-time actors except for one member, and they do a remarkable job making the moments real, so I can't fault them for the whole story not quite holding together. Of special interest is an appearance by Tom Maxwell, just before his rise in The Squirrel Nut Zippers. In fact, the movie soundtrack includes the original versions of a few songs from SNZ's first gold record.
Overall, the most interesting thing is that this director approached his film-making in the reverse order of the norm. Most folks work on others' projects, then a few shorts of their own, and finally launch a feature-length effort. This feature was his first, and I know he's followed it with a few heartfelt shorts. Don't know if you can still see those shorts anywhere, but I recommend them. He did a great job of getting his actors to their best performances. I absolutely love Kristin Leigh in "Oh, Boy!".
