...although it's no "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," either. What "Beneath the Dark" is, though, is an earnest attempt by writer/director/producer, Chad Feehan, to pay some dues and develop his chops, which--despite the weaknesses of the script--show much promise. With the aid of some nice camera-wrangling by Jason "Otis" Blount, apt music from Daniel "Dexter" Licht (and an excellent selection of pop tunes sprinkled throughout), some fine art/production design, and a perfectly capable cast (ignore the curmudgeons dissing them on this site), Feehan presents what is essentially a noir-ish episode of "The Twilight Zone." In a nutshell, a young couple decides to stop at a motel after a potentially calamitous accident, only to encounter strange people and disconcerting doings. There's a method to the mysteries, however, and that's what the story is about, and how our protagonist handles it all.
As mentioned, the script is still the weak point of the project; Syd Field would not be happy. Too much time is spent setting things up, and too much is spent delineating the backstory of the motel's current occupants (some of it quite relevant, but a good deal of it unnecessary--and at time confusing--filler). Some of the dialogue is, shall we say, uninspired and/or banal. These flaws are not helped by the occasional blackout segues that seem more intended for the insertion of commercial breaks than a stylistic choice. I'd hazard a guess that 15-20 minutes could have been shaved off the hour-forty running time with no loss of coherence. Nonetheless, and perhaps ironically, my attention was held for the duration, despite my tendency to enjoy a smoke-break intermission when watching DVDs, and despite a great deal of smoking going on in the movie itself. That's got to count for something, at least in my book.
No matter. Although I found his demeanor off-putting at first, Josh "The Collector" Stewart establishes and propels the lead quite nicely, Angela "The Wedding Singer" Featherstone stands out in support along with Chris "Cowboys & Aliens" Browning and Afemo "The Reaping" Omilami, and even Jamie-Lynn "The Sopranos" Sigler acquits herself well (and I don't mean to dis her; it's just that her role is really a cipher--she has no genuine character arc). Nor do I mean to dispense with the rest of the cast; they all do fine jobs. Eventually, though, the viewer realizes that this story is all about Stewart's character, which is why I mentioned the similarity to "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" in the first place.
To recap: not a great film, but shows much promise, and is certainly worth a watch for indie fans and genre buffs.
As mentioned, the script is still the weak point of the project; Syd Field would not be happy. Too much time is spent setting things up, and too much is spent delineating the backstory of the motel's current occupants (some of it quite relevant, but a good deal of it unnecessary--and at time confusing--filler). Some of the dialogue is, shall we say, uninspired and/or banal. These flaws are not helped by the occasional blackout segues that seem more intended for the insertion of commercial breaks than a stylistic choice. I'd hazard a guess that 15-20 minutes could have been shaved off the hour-forty running time with no loss of coherence. Nonetheless, and perhaps ironically, my attention was held for the duration, despite my tendency to enjoy a smoke-break intermission when watching DVDs, and despite a great deal of smoking going on in the movie itself. That's got to count for something, at least in my book.
No matter. Although I found his demeanor off-putting at first, Josh "The Collector" Stewart establishes and propels the lead quite nicely, Angela "The Wedding Singer" Featherstone stands out in support along with Chris "Cowboys & Aliens" Browning and Afemo "The Reaping" Omilami, and even Jamie-Lynn "The Sopranos" Sigler acquits herself well (and I don't mean to dis her; it's just that her role is really a cipher--she has no genuine character arc). Nor do I mean to dispense with the rest of the cast; they all do fine jobs. Eventually, though, the viewer realizes that this story is all about Stewart's character, which is why I mentioned the similarity to "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" in the first place.
To recap: not a great film, but shows much promise, and is certainly worth a watch for indie fans and genre buffs.