The Send-Off

I attended a screening of the feature film The Send-Off, the winner of the Arkansas Cinema Society's Filmland: Arkansas Audience Award, at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock on Thursday, July 6th.

Following the film, a Q+A with writer/director John-Michael Powell, who grew up in the central Arkansas area, was led by Andrew Sweatman, host of Arthouse Garage, Arkansas' arthouse film podcast.

I went into the screening knowing nothing about this movie, other than the brief description provided to IMDb - When an actor throws an impromptu soiree at his Hollywood home, with only his closest friends in attendance, a fun evening devolves into something much darker after he makes an unexpected announcement to the group.

Some of the highlights of The Send-Off - (no spoilers)

* This movie contains some of the best performances I have seen in years. During the Q & A with writer/director John-Michael Powell that followed the film, we learn that it was filmed during the Pandemic, featuring many of his friends who are actors. The ensemble cast includes Sean Harrison Jones, Devere Rogers, Rory Uphold, Ben York Jones, Michael Rishawn, Rhian Rees, Teresa Lee, Scott Kuza, Damian Gomez and Rosie Kreider.

* Extraordinary performances from leads Zachary Ray Sherman as Dan Richards and Lena Drake as Alexis Peroni.

* During the Q+A, Powell revealed that the majority of the movie was filmed in his own residence. It is a beautiful, California contemporary home, complete with an outside swimming pool. The house serves as another character in the movie, with its minimalist furniture and simple styling.

* The Send-Off reminds me of another movie that focuses on young Hollywood types - Swingers. This 1996 movie, written by Jon Favreau, is about a wannabe actor who has a hard time moving on from a break-up, but he is lucky to have supportive friends. Swingers also helped launch the careers of actors Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, and Patrick Van Horn. Like Swingers, The Send-Off is pure money!

* With a running time of 1 hour and 28 minutes, The Send-Off is an enjoyable dark comedy. Powell is also an experienced editor and it shows in the movie. Each scene is purposefully show with an eye for detail. There are also some flashback scenes which are shot in black and white which adds credibility to the movie.

A+ acting A+ directing A+ screenplay / plot A+ themes and surreal symbolism

What about characters, you ask. Uh... you'll have to see the film. It's kinda the point. Or as the ghost of James Dean said, "work on the personality, kid."

Several closely related threads at once converge on an explanation of why and how we elevate.entertainers, who happen to be the people most talented at the art of deception. The film raises questions about our true selves, relationships, abuse, the nature of social truth, the possibility of closeness, and even the possibility of movies to convey realism. At the end the movie, as a truth exposer, turns upon itself and reminds us how the characters we still trust to be their true selves are theatrical professionals speaking lines contrived by someone who we should suspect of being a manipulator too.