"Bitter Shoes" launches immediately into dark territory, this disorienting feeling greatly aiding a sad and lonely story about a father losing his son. His plans for revenge end up tangled in his burning desire to spend time with his child again. The smooth camera movements and muted colors seem to reflect the shades of gray in the lead character's motives.
The film is not dialog-heavy, but in this instance it works, as one of actor Kenny Cook's strengths seems to be emoting through his face. He is able to create a feeling of empathy for a character while never allowing you to forget that this is a dangerous, disturbed man. Julie Sampley is still a young actress and her range is hard to comment on from this sampling, but her frightened eyes and pale, fragile beauty lends itself well to this character who eventually reveals herself to be much cannier and more resourceful than you'd initially think. Their bizarre dance to a complicated ending is engaging to watch.
Good performances, very nice cinematography and interesting musical choices make this a nice example of what independent film can accomplish.
The film is not dialog-heavy, but in this instance it works, as one of actor Kenny Cook's strengths seems to be emoting through his face. He is able to create a feeling of empathy for a character while never allowing you to forget that this is a dangerous, disturbed man. Julie Sampley is still a young actress and her range is hard to comment on from this sampling, but her frightened eyes and pale, fragile beauty lends itself well to this character who eventually reveals herself to be much cannier and more resourceful than you'd initially think. Their bizarre dance to a complicated ending is engaging to watch.
Good performances, very nice cinematography and interesting musical choices make this a nice example of what independent film can accomplish.
