A Better Place

I had heard about this film for about a year, and was shocked/thrilled to see it was going to be aired on IFC. I could finally see the movie that I "had to see". I was not disappointed one bit. It was a unique and shocking film. If you want to see something that you've never seen before definitely try to see this film.

The moral stance taken by Barret in this intelligent philosophical thriller is one that precludes any belief in a caring God or for that matter a caring society. Actually, his morality keeps defining itself by the events of the moment. Deeply affected by the horrible tragedy of the death of his parents, he wears a chip on his shoulder and avoids contact with mostly all humanity except for Ryan, who acts as his conscience throughout the film. Ryan maintains his hope for a world that makes sense and is compassionate. But by the end of the story, Ryan himself is engulphed by the blackness of the world, and we witness an awful tragedy.

Kudos to Vincent Pereira, who wrote, edited, and directed this sleeper. The acting and basic quality of the filmmaking is at times a bit amateurish, but who cares, since the object of this film is to make us think about our place in this world. Are people caring or do they exist merely to promote themselves and their own causes. The filmmaker presents a character who sees only the darkness of life, and I believe most of us know that life has many warm and tender moments.

Certainly a must see for thinking people everywhere.

After the death of his father, a young man named Barret (Robert DiPatri) moves to a new town with his mother in search of a new beginning. His first day of school is horrible and everything that could go wrong...does. An outcast loner by the name of Ryan (Eion Bailey) helps him out and the two form an unlikely friendship. However, when Barret starts making new friends and Ryan's philosophical mindset about the world begins to grow more violent, things start to spiral out of control. Ryan begins to fall deeper into hatred and Barret struggles to escape it.

This film is excellent. It is a dark look at teen violence and is extremely moving and powerful. The dialogue is crisp and real throughout. Never is the dialogue overbearing or too long and it is often very moving. Watch for the scenes with Barret and Ryan on the beach and the voiceover in the end for some of the high points. The cinematography is great and Pereira has found the most beautiful location spots in New Jersey. The acting of the two main characters is superb and the rest of the cast shines in his and her roles. Finally, the plot itself is gripping. It constantly keeps the audience wondering what will happen next and the ending climaxes to a breath-taking finale.

Watch many Independent films and you will see an Independent film. The quality is often low and the locations can sometimes be counted on one hand. But watch A Better Place and you will not see an Independent film. Pereira has done more than can be imagined with a final budget of $50,000 and it is definitely a high budget looking film with a low budget price. Too often now-a-days, large companies are Greenlighting and producing horrible movies that contain the worst acting and the most asinine plots you could imagine. It's refreshing to finally see someone make a movie of such high caliber. Vincent Pereira has done this with flying colors for A Better Place.

I'd just seen Drawing Flies... I bought it on a whim hoping I'd like it as it was a View Askew Production. It was awful. Just awful. So I was worried about A Better Place, but I took another chance. I was very pleased. It was a $40,000 budget but I think it looks good. The acting is so-so in places of course, and there are actually a few blurry scenes, but overall it's very well done. The character who plays Ryan definitely worked well. The story itself was very intriguing and I could relate to it, having grown up in similar situations. It's not a happy story, so don't expect a comedy. Very good. B+

A BETTER PLACE is a crudely made low budget story of teen alienation that brings to mind the now classic RIVER'S EDGE. The acting is so-so and there is one too many scenes involving fake blood (the movie's low budget shows), but it is fast paced, has a funky soundtrack and its tone is defiantly angry. Check it out.