Station to Station

I saw this film at the Las Vegas International Film and Screenwriting Festival on the first night. Like most of the films at these festivals, I hadn't heard of it before and I found the description was intriguing, but vague (intentionally so, when you think about it afterward).

But I am glad I didn't know anything going in. I don't really think any description could describe it, but if I had had it described to me, I might have watched it in with some preconceved notions and assumptions, which as it turns out, is the entire point of the film, or at least a big part of it.

All I know is I spent the next day thinking about it, about the characters, and some of the convos they have with each other. This film is really well acted and the best work is in the quiet back and dorths with each other, which happen in a way that starts the wheels turning in your head It got me thinking about a lot of the ways movies don't do that now and that made me realize how hungry I was for the kind of conversations and characters we see in the film, which is a modest attempt at making a blockbuster Hollywood film, but an A attempt at making an indie like this.

This is my first review, so apologies if it's not critic-y enough. I'll go through what worked best, what didn't work as well, and why I thought that, but I guess a good place to start is why I came on here to write a review in the first place (besides the fact there aren't any comments on reviews, lol): I keep turning over this film in my head and coming back to it and that's really unusual for a random indie at a local film festival. Second, I think a lot of people are going to have opinions on this film, because that's that's what we do as a culture these days when art doesn't fit our boxes or, like this one does, challenges our stereotypes and judgements about others, and groups of others. Also, as Americans we tend to get weird about things like sex and nudity (especially in the midwest, where I live), if by weird I mean "running around acting like the sky is going to fall down," and I do.

So yeah, let's put that out there first. I'm surprised the other reviewers haven't mentioned it. This is a movie set in Las Vegas, with a bunch of 20 somethings. There's sex and nudity in the film. It's not an erotic film, and it's not a salacious film (by objective standards), and the sex and nudity (which, to be fair, is a few butts, some side boob, and a lot of implied nudity, with a couple brief full frontal shots) makes sense for the characters, the premise, and the stories, journeys, and struggles they're dealing with. But let's be honest. Some folks will hear there's a male full frontal shot (it's not in a sexual situation) and immediately find a bunch of different things "wrong" with the film. I've been here long enough. So maybe the upfront disclaimer is if that kind of thing isn't your thing, just don't see the film. But if you don't sweat that kind of thing, I really, really recommend it.

Because there's not much wrong with this as an actual film and it's kind of mind-blowing (save one thing--the reason I have it a 9 and not a 10) that a first time writer-director and bunch of unknowns made something this careful, constrained, and affecting. It doesn't subscribe to any tropes, doesn't feel the need to move any faster or slower than the story and characters require, and boy does it all pay off at the end with some of the best acting and climactic pacing I've ever seen.

The reason I can't give it a 10 is that it is obviously not a polished studio production, though it comes REALLY close, you do have some little tells like inopportune camera shake here and there (which, also to be fair, is used intentionally and to really strong effect in other parts of the movie, where you feel like you're right in there with the people) or a scene or setting that's a solid 9, but you know would have gone from a 9 to a 10 if they'd had the money to open up the world a bit, or shoot in more exotic or challenging locations. But that's splitting hairs in a bit, because anyone who goes to see this is going to know they're seeing a human, character-driven indie. While it would be nice to see more location shoots in Las Vegas casinos, or on the Strip (there are some!) just to really celebrate and immerse ourselves in the place, it's understandable why we didn't for financial and maybe story reasons. I will say the locations do become almost like characters themselves, and watching them change over time of day, etc. (sunlight is really a big factor in this film as it is in Las Vegas) is so interesting and that wouldn't have happened with more settings and use of more familiar flashier places, so, who knows?

How will you know if you like it? I'd say if you find movies that push boundaries and convention a bit, this is a great movie for you. If you like movies that do melodrama, but in a grounded, believable, relatable way, this is definitely a movie for you, especially by the third act. If you like seeing characters who represent different sexualities, races, ethnicities, etc. In a story where those things have almost nothing to do with the film (they just are), this is a good film for you. And if you like films about people who mess up and make wrong calls and are trying to figure out who they are with a mix of family of origin and choice, this really delivers on that front, too.

I suspect some people will try to limit it or characterize this as a coming of age drama, or an erotic drama (again, it's not, it just has bodies and sex, but not in a particularly erotic context), or even an LGBT drama, an I think all of them are true, but none of them describe the movie, truly. This is an interesting drama, an ensemble piece that showcases some really good acting, and it's set in a very specific word, with very specific people, but has little to do with those specifics as a story point, the setting and the characteristics are the jumping off point for some characters you won't be able to forget about when you leave the theater or turn off your computer, which is sort of where I am this morning, writing a review on IMDb...

The easy comparisons here are to BOOGIE NIGHTS or SHAME but that just, again, I think is because we have so few films told about male protagonists like this. It definitely shares elements with these, but if you want a better parallel in general, I'd go with Steven Soderbergh's debut film, Sex Lies & Videotape. That's the comparison--a new director, a cast of characters and actors you can't stop watching or thinking about, and a story that moves slowly and deliberately, but you really feel delivers something in the end. Like you got what you needed, if not what you thought you were coming for, as a film, if that makes any sense. But in the end, I don't think this movie can be easily described, which is a pretty good compliment for a first time writer director and a bunch of unknowns!

I never write reviews on films, but I felt this was necessary to warn everyone. What a horrible, waste of time movie that was excruciatingly unbearable to the end, in hopes that something good would happen. The bad acting, the bad Soundtrack and stupid story line needs to be announced to future victims of this movie. I can't believe it was even accepted for Production and then, suggested by Amazon prime. I would be embarrassed to show a film of this low caliber. This waste of my time will definitely make me think to check reviews before wasting another two hours of my time. I hope this review will save others from this excruciatingly horrible film.

This is what happens when there is no editing. A film that is about twice as long as it should be with the longest scenes shot with the worst of the cast (Jordan Getty and Cate Luna). I haven't seen such awful over-acting in a long time. I actually had to fast-forward through most of their extended scenes. If Jordan pursed his lips or cocked his jaw one more time, or Cate over-gestured her way through one more scene, I would have shut it off. Was there no director on set to tell them to chill out, or try to act a bit more natural? They were just too unbelievable and because they were in far too much of the movie, it ruined the decent job the rest of the cast did. Other than that, thanks for Eggers crotch shot.

I thought this was a comedy b/c I'd only seen a funny clip before and got the wrong impression, but this movie blew my mind with how good a drama this is. It's so good! The acting, the writing, the way it looks, and the beautiful messages it sends to the audience. The main character and actor who plays him are really interesting.