Full disclosure... I am employed in the film industry and I am a low budget film junkie. I earn my living working for a major studio (Dixon is not my real name) so I love to see the stuff that young low budget filmmakers are doing with minimal dollars while we turn out multi-million dollar crap. At a meeting the other day someone mentioned Stas Lavrik (and I quote) "Take a look at this guy's first feature film, I hear he is one strange dude with real talent ..." Knowing I am the company "low budget junkie" he lobbed me a thumb drive with LIFE IN PICTURES on it...and said "when you are done drop it on KR's (company hotshot) desk" I watched it ...twice. Well, you won't mistake it for some five-star classics ...but for a low budget young director you are talking big deal! This guy Lavrik has something very special, raw talent with real stuff. Again full disclosure I know nothing about him first hand. What I learn is mostly Facebook and google. And frankly from the weird sex stuff on his site I have no interest in meeting him personally. Professionally is something else! First off, I find he wrote, directed, produced, and cast the movie. Oh yeah, and it appears he was also the location scout, key grip, stunt double, wardrobe assistant, dialogue coach, stand-in and transportation captain. The only job he didn't do was payroll clerk...but that was because there was no payroll. Well, in other words, it seems he not only made this feature for $1.85 but he does it all. And of it all, what he does best is his casting. For example, one can only describe the acting of the "hitman" Joseph Caporino (Jimmy) and his wife Susan Feinman (Nancy) as absolutely perfect. At the very least brilliant. Yet this is Caporino only acting job according to IMDb. And Feinman (a most attractive woman in her late 40s or early 50s) has no film credits prior to five years ago. The rest of the cast is (at worst) exceptional yet there is not a SAG, AFTRA player among them. Considering most Hollywood films use top talent with endless experience and yet we frequently get it wrong How does this guy find dozens of perfect actors and pays them nothing or chump change? Add to this that Lavrik claims the film "autobiographical" Again, I don't know the guy but in a quick search, it looks like his father was actually whacked by the Russian mob! And I read that he was born in Russia. English is his second language yet he wrote the screenplay. Yeah, who else has those street creds ... Billy Wilder! So here it is. My review is "LIFE IN PICTURES is worth seeing" but/and LAVRIK is absolutely the writer, director, producer, casting director, key grip etc to ABSOLUTELY WATCH!
