I get having ambition as a newb filmmaker - Miles Warren, who directed and co-wrote this film with Ben Medina, but people don't spend their hard earned money to buy current wide-screen TV's to have to sit through a 1970's tube-television 4:3 aspect ratio square-box viewing experience. That was an unforgiving and unnecessary annoyance, that also made his rookie filmmaking mistakes more evident, and there were many of them.
For starters, the pacing was ridiculously slow and had too many long and dragged out scenes. It's almost as if he took his short film (of the same name and content) and stretched it out to fill in a 97 min runtime. We struggled to stay awake and became impatient for the first two acts until the final act, when things finally start to happen. Warren's inexperience in directing his cast was also evident with the constant monotonic dialogue and film's tone with his actors. It lacked any real urgency to keep wanting to watch.
The only reason we kept watching was the creativity on how the story was being told, and the dynamics of the two adults who wanted to be a part of Darious' life, played exceptionally well by Jalyn Hall, who in my opinion, stole the show, and was the main reason to keep watching.
Had Warren consulted an experienced filmmaker for much needed adjustments to his film, this could've been an Oscar-worthy gem. Nevertheless, as a newb filmmaker, I applaud his ambition and his first full length feature film. I particularly appreciated the non-Hollywood approach to his story, and how real-world it felt. I would've liked a better ending though, with at least some closure. That could've easily fit into the 97 min box. It's a good film, that could've easily been great. Hopefully Warren learns from this, because he certainly has filmmaking-greatness potential.
For starters, the pacing was ridiculously slow and had too many long and dragged out scenes. It's almost as if he took his short film (of the same name and content) and stretched it out to fill in a 97 min runtime. We struggled to stay awake and became impatient for the first two acts until the final act, when things finally start to happen. Warren's inexperience in directing his cast was also evident with the constant monotonic dialogue and film's tone with his actors. It lacked any real urgency to keep wanting to watch.
The only reason we kept watching was the creativity on how the story was being told, and the dynamics of the two adults who wanted to be a part of Darious' life, played exceptionally well by Jalyn Hall, who in my opinion, stole the show, and was the main reason to keep watching.
Had Warren consulted an experienced filmmaker for much needed adjustments to his film, this could've been an Oscar-worthy gem. Nevertheless, as a newb filmmaker, I applaud his ambition and his first full length feature film. I particularly appreciated the non-Hollywood approach to his story, and how real-world it felt. I would've liked a better ending though, with at least some closure. That could've easily fit into the 97 min box. It's a good film, that could've easily been great. Hopefully Warren learns from this, because he certainly has filmmaking-greatness potential.