I am not a native of California and knew nothing of In Vitro Films. My dad is Roger Richardson and he had told me about this. You did a wonderful job Justin. Good luck with your pursue of film directing!
Perfect? No, but the best compliment I can pay is, I was hooked and could not stop watching, certain from the start there would be no standard, cliched conclusion. It was worth it, most of all for the final irony and truly chilling twist.
Criticisms? For one, most of the acting throughout was…well, only OK, a bit stilted, too many false moments, too much cliche. Serviceable, but not relaxed or, seemingly, very experienced..
But in the end, from the moment Frankie flicks his cigarette lighter (before the last, crucial flashback) through the final scene, the editing AND acting suddenly catch fire, take a compelling leap upward…plus leave you waiting a long time for the other shoe to drop.
I was especially impressed there really ARE a few seconds where I relaxed, thinking it was going to be a basic Aesop-like moral fable after all. That there might still be some cool small surprise, but nonetheless Frankie would actually walk into his second=chance life, the only one of the three with the ability to change.
The ending packs a lovely punch, thanks to the nicely engineered false hope. Of course, the script is fair, and contains all the clues needed to realize Frankie not only hasn’t changed, but has forgotten there are consequences for ALL his actions (clear in hindsight, and even the first time sufficient to create an almost subconcious discomfort and worry).
I played the last scene over again, immediately, 4 times, paying closer attention to all the small and subtle clues, plus the neat ways in which the action simultaneously misleads, at how the script manages to make the viewer forget, uh-oh, of course SHE died too – she couldn’t possibly have been allowed to live.
It got better every time. Loved it.
Genuine professional quality in most of the ending. Serviceable, only occasionally inspired, acting in the remainder. Above-average direction overall. Too dark; the dim lighting is annoying and often frustrating. P
acing quite good, except the acting suffers from the usual not-quite-pro inability, at times, to pick up cues immediately and keep moving….there’s that slight lag before too many lines reminiscent of a trans-atlantic telephone conversation. All-too-common in, for example, amateur productions, and no, obviously not NEARLY that bad here! But more than I’d have expected.
There was, however, only one thing in the entire movie that bothered me VERY badly, and it was jolting enough to yank me completely out of the story, out of any hope of suspension of disbelief even, for a moment. Even re-watching the ending, it unsettled me.
That is: At the end, why on earth does Frankie close the door, when Lou calls his name? It was a jarring false note. No one would do that….they would turn around, yes, but no one who had been through an experience remotely like that, preparing to walk free into life and light, would EVER close the door completely. It’s simply not believable, not at all, to the point of almost wrecking the effect of the ending.
I can only guess, trying to be fair, the problem was a technical one.. for some reason it wasn’t possible to keep the bright, white light effect for the final shot? That there was no way to have the light in the background and still film the ending scene from the needed angles?
But what a shame – it kept what could otherwise be a stunning ending from achieving its full potential.
Well, you asked for comments and thoughtful criticism…and I’ve done my best to give you objective feedback.
That said, i hope you keep on making these short films, and longer ones, and attract the best actors you can as time goes on.
I’ve sent the link to this film, and your site, to a number of people, telling them it’s worth checking out.
That’s not some attempt to be kind. Simply the truth. I’m looking forward to watching more.
Comments go here, people ; )
Really liked the “lesson” so to speak, behind this one. Some parts predictable but deffinately entertaining. Keep it up.
Good work, I’m assuming you didn’t have much of a budget.
@ Capri We really didn’t. At all.
not bad. nice twist at the end.
i like the woman who played the older lady ?,she did a really good job .
I am not a native of California and knew nothing of In Vitro Films. My dad is Roger Richardson and he had told me about this. You did a wonderful job Justin. Good luck with your pursue of film directing!
Thanks for the compliment Brittany. Have Roger give me a call. I’d love to hear from him.
Perfect? No, but the best compliment I can pay is, I was hooked and could not stop watching, certain from the start there would be no standard, cliched conclusion. It was worth it, most of all for the final irony and truly chilling twist.
Criticisms? For one, most of the acting throughout was…well, only OK, a bit stilted, too many false moments, too much cliche. Serviceable, but not relaxed or, seemingly, very experienced..
But in the end, from the moment Frankie flicks his cigarette lighter (before the last, crucial flashback) through the final scene, the editing AND acting suddenly catch fire, take a compelling leap upward…plus leave you waiting a long time for the other shoe to drop.
I was especially impressed there really ARE a few seconds where I relaxed, thinking it was going to be a basic Aesop-like moral fable after all. That there might still be some cool small surprise, but nonetheless Frankie would actually walk into his second=chance life, the only one of the three with the ability to change.
The ending packs a lovely punch, thanks to the nicely engineered false hope. Of course, the script is fair, and contains all the clues needed to realize Frankie not only hasn’t changed, but has forgotten there are consequences for ALL his actions (clear in hindsight, and even the first time sufficient to create an almost subconcious discomfort and worry).
I played the last scene over again, immediately, 4 times, paying closer attention to all the small and subtle clues, plus the neat ways in which the action simultaneously misleads, at how the script manages to make the viewer forget, uh-oh, of course SHE died too – she couldn’t possibly have been allowed to live.
It got better every time. Loved it.
Genuine professional quality in most of the ending. Serviceable, only occasionally inspired, acting in the remainder. Above-average direction overall. Too dark; the dim lighting is annoying and often frustrating. P
acing quite good, except the acting suffers from the usual not-quite-pro inability, at times, to pick up cues immediately and keep moving….there’s that slight lag before too many lines reminiscent of a trans-atlantic telephone conversation. All-too-common in, for example, amateur productions, and no, obviously not NEARLY that bad here! But more than I’d have expected.
There was, however, only one thing in the entire movie that bothered me VERY badly, and it was jolting enough to yank me completely out of the story, out of any hope of suspension of disbelief even, for a moment. Even re-watching the ending, it unsettled me.
That is: At the end, why on earth does Frankie close the door, when Lou calls his name? It was a jarring false note. No one would do that….they would turn around, yes, but no one who had been through an experience remotely like that, preparing to walk free into life and light, would EVER close the door completely. It’s simply not believable, not at all, to the point of almost wrecking the effect of the ending.
I can only guess, trying to be fair, the problem was a technical one.. for some reason it wasn’t possible to keep the bright, white light effect for the final shot? That there was no way to have the light in the background and still film the ending scene from the needed angles?
But what a shame – it kept what could otherwise be a stunning ending from achieving its full potential.
Well, you asked for comments and thoughtful criticism…and I’ve done my best to give you objective feedback.
That said, i hope you keep on making these short films, and longer ones, and attract the best actors you can as time goes on.
I’ve sent the link to this film, and your site, to a number of people, telling them it’s worth checking out.
That’s not some attempt to be kind. Simply the truth. I’m looking forward to watching more.
Cheers,
c