A Small Fortune

Kevin Doucette (Stephen Oates) and Sam Doucette (Liane Balaban) are a married couple struggling to survive in PEI. Sam is pregnant. Kevin harvests seaweed in a traditional way. It would be kind to say that it's a dying industry. The money is not worth the effort. Sam keeps urging him to move west to make some cash, but he refuses to leave home. Out of the blue, he finds money scattered in his seaweed and then a duffle bag full of cash.

This is a small Canadian indie in the mold of other small crime dramas where the down and out characters find a bag of cash. It is interesting that Kevin is still harvesting seaweed with a horse. Burning the boat is a really dumb idea. Kevin is not the sharpest tool in the tool box. He's not like a cartoon idiot either. There are so many foreseeable problems that he runs into head-first. That's not a problem. Dumb lead characters are often frustrating, but still interesting. I just wouldn't want dumb writing. My main issue with the story is that Kevin should be dead. At a certain point, he should be killed or at the very least, tortured to an inch of his life. I get that it's hard to kill the lead before the end of the movie. Maybe that's the better move.

Relatively formulaic crime caper. The best thing the movie has going for it is the setting; PEI certainly lends itself to some beautiful cinematography. The story has some interesting elements but overall it doesn't rise above a made-for-TV cheap production feel.

The dialogue is a bit ham-fisted at times and you've got some overly stereotypical characters: the disgruntled old cop, the bad guy with tattoos, etc.

"Deus ex machina" I think is the term for the introduction of a major new character toward the end of the movie. Well, it happens here and is a tad annoying. There are various "convenient coincidences" that happen such as a character finding an important bag at a rock that he just happened to randomly crouch down near. Some suspension of disbelief is OK but a few too many of them here.

The "wrap things up nicely" monologue at the end was a bit too pat while leaving various things unexplained.

This is writer and director Adam Perry's second-only full length feature film, and although far from perfect, for a newb filmmaker, it's better than some disappointments I've seen lately from seasoned filmmakers.

Perry's directing was actually impressive, to the point you'd think it was a Coen brothers' production. The story did have some plot and technical issues, and the pacing was a little slow, but the screenplay was tight, original and very well laid out and shot. A little more action and suspense would've gone a long way, and I would've loved to see more of the beautiful PEI landscapes.

All casting and performances were spot on, although I felt old man Omer was a little too much. The cinematography was great, and the score amazing, especially for a low budget indie B-film. It's a very decent 91 mins one-time watch, especially considered this was a novice low budget film. It's a well deserved 6.5 rounded up to a 7/10 from me.

Saw this at a festival featuring Atlantic Canadian films, and in that context, ie rooting for the home team, I found this film to be quite a beautiful poem to specific place - rural PEI. The cinematography is terrific - I felt the pull of the sea and the way of life the main character loves. The film maker lays out a number of great questions - what would you do if you were poor and found bag of money? What's the difference between enforcing the law and maintaining the peace? But the film maker doesn't explore these questions in any depth. Instead it turns into a conventional and cliched crime caper. I agree with the other reviewers that the main character makes way too many dumb decisions for a guy who doesn't seem that dumb, and there are too many contrivances for the sake of moving the pilot along. A missed opportunity - in the hands of a stronger writer this could have been a rich exploration of some compelling questions.

Acting is a bit so-so (especially Andrea Bang who is utterly terrible and tends to ruin every scene where she opens her mouth and 'acts').

The plot is pretty predictable.

Cinematography was ok.

I'd say maybe watch it while you fold your laundry as there is nothing here to keep your attention.

3/10.