It gets off to a strong start, exploring a political rumbling of our current moment before unleashing a volume of threads that continually intertwine, tying its characters together in one big Midwestern Depression Knot™. There are smart choices in the script that allow its ambitious structure to coalesce, and it's anchored by some very good lead performances.
There're a lot of attempts to connect to something that isn't there, thematically, or something on the horizon that isn't quite clear yet. It's easy to connect to, and the film does a good job at slowly yet steadily introducing a little bit at a time. Coupled with production design that lends this authenticity that is vital to the tone of the film, it's a very impressive micro-indie feature. This is the Midwest by a Midwesterner, and its important to remember how much the setting plays into each character's personal desolation. Don't worry though, it keeps a sense of humor the whole way through. It has good dramedy bones.
However I do wish it didn't fetter out as it reaches the end, unable to wrangle all of its threads into a meaningful ambiguity. The final moments hinge on a character whose development feels like it should have been introduced earlier, among the other supporting characters of the film. Its first major character, Chris, I wish was the sole focus of the story, but what we lack in satisfying arcs is somewhat made up for in a mood that you wrap around yourself like an old blanket.
There're a lot of attempts to connect to something that isn't there, thematically, or something on the horizon that isn't quite clear yet. It's easy to connect to, and the film does a good job at slowly yet steadily introducing a little bit at a time. Coupled with production design that lends this authenticity that is vital to the tone of the film, it's a very impressive micro-indie feature. This is the Midwest by a Midwesterner, and its important to remember how much the setting plays into each character's personal desolation. Don't worry though, it keeps a sense of humor the whole way through. It has good dramedy bones.
However I do wish it didn't fetter out as it reaches the end, unable to wrangle all of its threads into a meaningful ambiguity. The final moments hinge on a character whose development feels like it should have been introduced earlier, among the other supporting characters of the film. Its first major character, Chris, I wish was the sole focus of the story, but what we lack in satisfying arcs is somewhat made up for in a mood that you wrap around yourself like an old blanket.
