I saw some postings online about this film so I wanted to check it out. I was even more jazzed when I found it on NetFlix and all.
OK, going into it I knew it was going to be an indie, and not a studio indie film. I read the other postings. So my expectations were very indie based and I also saw that it was 114-mins, so I knew it would be long.
Length aside, I gotta tell you I was pretty impressed with the job RT Herwig did with this film. Being that it was his first film. It was very visual. And when I say that I mean it is the kind of film that you have to watch from the eyes of the characters to understand. It's more like watching them and watching their troubles. Kinda like you were friend with a kid from a dysfunctional family and they invited you over to their house for dinner and you just sat there and watched them. I get the feeling that in an RT Herwig film its all about the characters in relationship to one another and the surroundings they are in. More so then the story they are living in. I know that might not make any sense.
It was not your typical film that was held together with clever writing as is the case with most indie films. Ya know films that are directed by writers that don't have much of a screen language. You know. They have brilliant writing, but I guess they missed the classes where you actually have to have a style. These kinds of films are all about shaky-cam and fast cutting. RT's film is waaaaaaaaaay on the opposite end of this scale. It's just all visual.
This film has a visual style all its own. I'm sure RT sees his world in these emotional colors and tones.
Then to read that he had shot this film in only a week. It was a beautifully shot film. I love how RT just hangs on his actors and allows them to follow thru on a thought after a scene has played out. Brilliant. But if you are from the mindset that films need to be quick, quick, quick, and cut, cut, cut, and witty banter line after line; then you might so miss the boat on this one.
