Look I appreciate that filmmaking is hard work. I appreciate the work that these filmmaker's put into this movie. I understand there was a message that they would try to convey about homelessness and how a large portion of our homeless are made up of both youth and veterans. It just would have serviced them to understand what it is that makes youth or veterans homeless.
The concept seems out of touch our lead character who is a veteran in the film chooses homelessness out of choice when many don't. None of the homeless people in this film feel accurate neither does the girl who chooses homelessness over getting told to do her homework.
Veterans become homeless because they have mental illness from their time in the military or physical handicaps from the military. They have literally been rejected and cast aside from the very government they fought for and ended up on the streets. They did not make it into an American flag covered casket so people do not care about them. This film does not understand that.
On the note of homeless youth they do not often end on the street simply because they were told to do their homework. Usually the parents are abusive, alcoholic, or the children themselves are downright kicked out for their preferences in life and love. Again another aspect that the film does not understand.
We do get glimpses in the side stories involving side characters that while summer cliche such as the budding officer that just wants to be accepted by his superior but even if they're cliche the film does not explore those elements as much as it leads us into thinking it will.
The most interesting part of this film is not in the actual lead characters but is actually in the daughter of the police chief who was taken hostage and kept for years. Unfortunately her plight and character are not explored as much as they should have been. It feels like the magnifying glass was pointed in the wrong direction when the film should have been about her and not about anyone else.
From a technical aspect the film is mostly sound. But it comes across as somebody reading their textbooks from film school and doing everything exactly as they're told instead of helping the service the story through visuals and prowess.
That's not to say I don't see promise with all the people involved. The acting is awful but the director/actor himself is actually a good actor. The people in charge of the technical aspect of the film have promise. I just feel like everybody involved missed the mark on this one.
It's almost as if the film was rushed. Somebody one day just decided let's make a movie and this is what we got.
