Don't Come Back from the Moon

Constantly moving cameras. hopefully they made enough cash from this film to buy a tripod or a dolly. if you get seasick easily, don't watch this one. Smalley (James Franco) walks out on his family in a small, dying desert town after "the plant" closes down and there's no work. and he's not the only one. more dads are giving up and leaving town. so the kids turn into juvenile delinquents. lots of pretty sunsets. and pictures of the sun and moon. should have been more story and less pictures of the moon. it's a story about leaving. do people who leave ever come back? directed by Bruce Cheung, who seems to have worked with Franco on SO many projects. novel by Dean Bakopoulos. looks like it was filmed around the edges of the salton sea. abandoned houses. ruins. mud. dead fish. it's pretty dark. it's okay.

Similar movie: Gummo. Highly recommended.

Divorce and family breakdown is a significant issue facing many today, yet a certain narrative has dominated how it is treated. Any movie that tackles broken homes deserves merit. As a male who at seventeen saw his parents divorce in the first wave (mid-80s) and seeing it spread and poison, my attitude has long shifted away from the standard narrative of the deadbeat dad loser. Nothing could be further from the truth and what divorce does is make the child eventually turn his sights on what societal forces enable and encourage such a destructive event.

Every viewpoint has to be considered.

Take a bleak, slow movie. Set it in a broken down, rural, desert town so the scenery isn't interesting to look at. Add a lead character has questionable morals who just isn't interesting or sympathetic. Then add a title and description that hint this will be some kind of sci-fi mystery. Altogether I cam confused how someone thought this was a winning formula for a film. I suppose someone felt it has a powerful social message. But the only message was that it's bad if a parent wanders off and doesn't return. And even that message wasn't clear. I try to see the good in every film, but I couldn't find anything in this film that would convince me to watch it a second time.

I thought it very cool for James Franco to make an appearance in this, and a nice appearance it was; this is very indie, very imaginative and spell binding, I felt quite bad for everyone living without a father figure , it really resonates with single families and the ending really impaled the exclamation mark to what it takes to become a very strong and wonderful parent. Very interesting.. based on a book I wonder if it was as good as this movie, the kid thespian were very impressive, lets see what they will do in the near future...

This is a dull movie, but is honest about it. Follows the life of some youngsters abandoned by their father. They live in the American desert towns where there is little to do and little life except that which you can make.

It's low budget and shakey cam, but the real crux is some fine acting by the mostly young crew. Beyond that there's nothing there. So much more can have been said and done. There is hope in everyone and you can take if that happens or not.

It's a snapshot on certain lives. I just think there was more and better to say.