Hey folks, Harry here with the first review on planet earth of DEADROOM - which was partly made by sometime AICN scooper GHOSTBOY, but this isn't written by an acquantance of his. Here ya go, sounds great!
Hey Harry,
Fellow Austinite and AICN fan; first time reviewing. For once, I feel
I have something of interest to impart: a review from one of the
'smaller' films showing at the SXSW festival.
As a film pass holder I was turned away from the screening of "The
Wendell Baker Story", I ended up seeing the world premiere of
"Deadroom" instead, and it more than made up for my disappointment.
Four filmmakers each wrote and directed their own section of the film,
following just a simple template: two people are having a
conversation - one is alive, one is dead. These four metaphysical
conversations are woven together throughout the course of the film.
Each of the four filmmakers came up with something different in terms
of tone and story; they provide bold contrast to each other. A woman
professes infatuation to a man who she never got the courage to talk
to while he was living. A fan asks a famous author about his only
novel. A widow asks her husband's blessing to remarry. Each script
is written differently, but each is witty and has interesting
reversals. The acting is great, especially consider that the entire
film was shot in 9 days, and each scene was shot in only one or two
takes. And despite the contrast in segments, they flow together
wonderfully.
I really recommend this to anyone at the festival. It's very original
and there's no telling what the life of this film is going to be yet,
but I hope it gets attention.
I'll probably be turned away, but I'm going extra early tonight to try
and catch "Unleashed". If any of you AICN readers see me at the fest,
I carry a small, black journal at all times; say hi.
Later,
Mat Shard
