Patrick Coyle's compelling debut screenplay, which he vividly brings to life as both director and actor, takes a dramatic, and far more challenging turn away from the traditional "descent into alcoholic madness" so many have explored, from Malcolm Lowry's classic "Under the Volcano," Hemingway's detailed stories of a lost generation, Kerouac's "On the Road" and and a bouquet of movies from the early "Days of Wine and Roses" to the more recent "Sid and Nancy" or "Train Spotting," and instead focuses on what happens after a character pulls out of that long, sad decline and tries to put the piece4s of their shattered lives back together again. Detective Fiction is no pollyanna story, and while there is a redemption, it is hard won echoing the "You can't always get what you want" idea more than the "happily ever after" so common in many films. I found the portrayal of Jennifer and Jack Hannon, husband and wife, riveting as they tried to put their lives back in sync, tried to arrest and reverse the full throttle flight from reality that was their life during Jack's drinking days, and which they have both have so recently, tentatively tried to abandon. "Detective Fiction" moves methodically, and with great integrity through the action, paced to echo the slow unraveling of the character's lives, even though Jack has entered recovery. The stunning conclusion comes when husband and wife finally, haltingly, and perhaps only temporarily meet each other halfway, dramaticized with Jack and Jennifer talking to eachother through a locked door. There is redemption here, and an uplift to the human spirit, but not an easy fix, and despite the lack of budget, the movie is a telling testimony to a writer/director and actor who is sure to do great things in the future. Here is integrity, and it is not to be missed. .
