Nero Bloom: Private Eye

I thought Nero Bloom was outstanding. While watching, I forgot it was 2009. I was transported into the setting, somewhere in the 1940's I'm guessing. I was transfixed into the plot immediately. I loved how, not only was there suspense and the puzzling twists you draw from mysteries, but there was action and humor. Another aspect, sometimes movies of this genre run a bit long, or drag a conclusion. This film had great timing, so I was able to stay interested every minute. The acting was very believable, the actors seemed very experienced and prepared. I look forward to, and hope to see this movie up for awards. Nero Bloom was a very well rounded film and I was very, very impressed.

As with many college films, "Nero Bloom" clearly fails to live up to the mammoth expectations of extravagant Hollywood productions. Nonetheless, few undergraduate films could ever boast the professional lengths achieved by this marvelous piece.

"Bloom" is an inspired homage to the Film Noir genre of the 1930s and 1940s, conjuring the seedy, gritty spirit of "The Maltese Falcon," "To Have and Have Not," and "The Big Heat." The protagonist's cynical, street-smart nature may not be original, but originality is clearly not the theme of Bloom's existence. Instead, his flattering salute to Bogartesque gumshoes proves both accurate and humorous. Just a few laughs beyond satire, Nero Bloom faithfully blends self-parody and dark humor without compromising the serious, sordid nature of the plot.

The dialogue, easily misjudged as poorly written or sophomoric, is a brilliant burlesque of the wisecracking, sarcastic conversations prone to wartime mysteries. Witty, authentic, and sardonic, it successfully conveys an atmosphere of corny morbidity.

In a stylish derivation from the genre, the discourse nearly breaks the fourth wall with its understanding self-deprecation, acknowledging modern audiences' taste for realism. In a similar technique, an uncustomary amount of visual gore and violence (often left to shadows and implication in Noir) satisfies a contemporary thirst for lethal action.

Its greatest flaw, struggling, unsophisticated acting, (acting, acting, ACTING... this is impossible to overemphasize) is hardly unexpected for this level of drama. Furthermore, such shoddy work may be overlooked as characteristic (albeit accidentally) of the melodrama of Film Noir. Nonetheless, it does subtract from an otherwise stellar piece.

While this annoying fault does distort an otherwise unblemished production, it fails to disturb the refined, proficient directing, photography, and lighting. Utilizing fantastic props, courageously authentic costumes, and marvelous settings, "Nero Bloom" feels just as authentic as any of Bogart's masterpieces. Complemented by a dazzling score, these victorious accomplishments blend into a perfect cocktail of Noiresque decadence and humor (Also worth mentioning is the PERFECTIVE introductory dancing short, a romantic salute to Fred Rogers).

This collegiate production, while hampered down by provincial acting, will nonetheless hold its own against any authentic film. It is a triumph that Bogey would have applauded.

This is a hard film to judge. It is an ambitious student film, one that asks to be judged not as such but as an "almost" film. At 45 minutes, it is not exactly short, but nor is it feature length. And it is a period film which makes an admirable attempt to capture the "look" of a 40s piece, something not easily done with the non-existent budget typical of student work.

For students, this is excellent work and merits high praise. The production quality bar is set surprisingly high. The acting is passable, which in the iffy world of student films makes it well above the watermark.

Where I feel the film could have been improved was in playing with the genre. It presents a film noir plot line with little creativity. Go in with your expectations set for a plot of that era, and you will get your wish. This is good, but in order to be a truly remarkable film in and of itself, one feels it needed a little more kick to it.

That said, the film well merits 9/10 stars when viewed in context as a student film.

Nero Bloom is a film that I am so proud to be involved in. As the costume and wardrobe supervisor I was at most of the shoots and got to see a lot of the process of this film. Yet I am still shocked when I see the final product. I marvel at how this mega student film was pulled off with such a small budget.

And yet, when I stop and think about all the hard work, preparation, attention to details, perseverance and positive attitudes that went into this film, I actually am not surprised at the great outcome.

I didn't quite know what I was getting into when I became involved in this project, but I can remember after my first meeting with Jason Eberly, the director and Nathan Hartman, the screenwriter...I knew I was in for a project that pushed the limits as a student film, and I was excited. Costume-wise, they had a very specific vision for each of the characters that was able to be expounded on. Each week I was informed well in advance of which characters needed to be in costumed for the weekend's shoots, and how many extras we were hoping to find. I was NEVER in doubt of what Eberly wanted in the costumes for each shoot. This constantly challenged me to find what was expected and kept me focused as the supervisor of costumes and make-up. I still do not understand to this day how Eberly managed to pay such close attention to so many details. Detail....not very many student projects I have worked with have given attention to detail... in my mind this is where the best of the best can really start to emerge.

What continues to blow my mind to this day is the amazing locations that we traveled to for this film. We had public roads shut down for us, filmed in a historic mansion, utilized 2 train stations...and yet our budget didn't sky rocket. This is because both Nathan Hartman and Jason Eberly have learned a very good skill as filmmakers...networking. They used these skills to get breaks in this film that took it to the next level without the expenses. I was ever amazed at each new location we filmed at! I was also pleased to see how the crew and the cast worked together on set and off set. I saw EVERYONE on this film both compromise with each other. I also saw great perseverance in the midst of some significant trials, like losing a lead actress 2 weeks before her first shoot... I always felt well informed as a crew member, well directed. I watched this project wrap up from a year long process at least in the months with just as much intensity as it started with. And that is saying a lot, after at least 30 shoots! Both Jason and Nathan stuck with this project until the very end, pulling all-nighters with the sound editor, Jordan Wolf, to make sure that details were done right in post, details like sound.

And, both Jason and Nathan took care of the crew and cast in the most professional way. I know everyone involved felt valued and cared for, which makes for a great working environment. The set of Nero Bloom was like being part of a family, I can honestly say I will miss shooting this film! The detail paid to each shoot on the location was also amazing. Jason and Hartman were each so careful about perfect set dressing and Jason was sometimes relentless in how many takes we took of a scene....but again, it was a ruthlessness that only pushed both the cast and crew in a necessary and positive way. And the results show how worth it all those takes were! Eberly has an eye for the visual and each shot is visually stunning thanks to the work of cameraman Jordan Steele.

Now, as a viewer, it is hard for me to rate the film without some prejudice knowing all the toil that went into it....however, I had the opportunity to attend 3 showings of it when it premiered at the Cinema Center in Fort Wayne and I was able to witness audiences' responses. It was so neat to see people truly enjoy the film before them, both students and older viewers. Many laughs were cracked at Nero's witty dialogue. People loved being given a film that took them back to their own youth, the days of "film noir". What a reward it was to see so many positive responses to this film.

So, thank you cast and crew of Nero Bloom for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing experience. I couldn't be prouder to tag my name onto such a phenomenal student film. I can only anticipate what you all will do in the future of film.

Thank you for dreaming big with this student film and reaching for the unreachable even when it seemed like we couldn't get it! You got it!

For those of us who have had the privilege of viewing this film one can only imagine how these young filmmakers did it on a shoestring budget of less than 5K. It's astounding! This movie truly epitomizes the best of independent film-making. The story hits all the beats and the cinematography is right on the mark. I think audiences are hungry for some straight forward gum shoe detective values and this film delivers the goods. One thing that makes this film so authentic is the quality of the cast. Several of the actors are regulars at the Pulse Opera House in Warren Indiana. I'm not sure very many of them had acted in front of the camera before but they all stepped up and really delivered. Can't wait to see the sequel.