Last Ball

I saw this movie at the Los Angeles film festival in April, and I really must say it's probably the best movie I've seen in the last year or two. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days afterwards. The characters are so distinctive and memorable, the cinematography is lovely, and the music is really fine. If you come across this film, definitely check it out. If you've ever lived a small town, you can really relate to the film's themes, and even though it's a drama, it's really hilarious at times too. I definitely recommend it.

I loved this film about a young man at an emotional crossroads after graduating from High School. The performances by all the actors were great and I thought the love story was so true, and so gentle. The setting was beautifully filmed in the Hudson river valley, with New York City just down river. This is what is a real independent film should be. You just have to watch carefully and listen well, because there is a lot of subtle, sweet moments.

"Last Ball" is a beautifully told story about a guy struggling with life in a small town after most of his friends have moved away to more exciting places. A passionate affair with a married woman initially appears as a way out of affliction but turns out to be a dead end.

I found the film moving in an un-sniveling way. Main character Jim conveys a kind of ease that is limited to those who have no great expectations. Jim is no caricature of misery. The supposed hopelessness of his situation is contrasted by the beauties of the "little things" in life and by the intensity of his actions. Ultimately, the "dead end" is just another beginning.

The film is as colorful and as complex, as funny and as sad as life really is. It tells a story worthy of being listened to. Most of us would not only want to see and listen, but to embrace.

The writer/director of this film is from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York; I'm from there, too, and I think that this film captures some of the essence of that particular place. Hastings is a small town in Westchester county; it's only about a 20-minute train ride from New York City - that's both good and bad. You see, many of the people who live in Hastings work in the city - because the town is so close to such a big metropolitan center, it means there's not much of an indigenous/local culture in the town itself. Hastings is essentially one big hill - wealthy people tend to live in big houses higher up on the hill; the tiny downtown, the train and the river are all at the bottom, as is a smallish, working-class population, many of whom hold service jobs in town. Hastings can be a very nice place, but if you're stuck there - if you can't afford train fare into the city, if you don't have a car to get to other towns, if you don't even have a ride up the hill - well, it can suck.

So, this film concerns a young man from an upper-middle-class (up on the hill) family, who finds himself living in an apartment down by the water, working as a cab driver. It's a powerful picture of the geographic and class divide of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York; the question is - is this film interesting for people who are not from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York? Well, it's a pretty good movie: there are compelling characters, strong performances and some lovely, low-key cinematography, but the script is lacking - the film suffers due to its forced, exposition-heavy dialog and from its fairly predictable narrative. That said, it also has an appealingly earth-y, personal feel to it; it's too bad that this film never seems to have gotten a proper DVD release - Lord knows there are many, many worse movies that find their way into video stores...

So many independent films would be great, if only the acting were better. Or the script tighter. Or if it was lighter, or heavier. Last Ball somehow brings it all together.

The acting is notably good; the emotion of so many scenes lingers with you long after the credits roll. It's beautiful to look at. It's well-directed, well-written. And most notable of all: it's a well-rounded story that is character driven and funny. It does not pander, but it sure does make you laugh.

It's so rare to get the whole deal in one film, but there it is. Last Ball delivers.