State of Consciousness

I've been a big fan of Emile Hirsch since he blew my mind with Speed Racer back in 2008. Love that movie and his performance in it. And I've followed just about everything he's done since, good bad and ugly... and yes, despite being a big fan there has been plenty that qualify in each category.

I was of course curious about this one because it seemed to be the Emile show. He's the poster and no other actors I recognized. But because more than a few of his recent efforts have fallen into the 'ugly' pile I didn't expect much... but his performance here lines up with the best work he's done. This is a movie with multiple timelines (and maybe even multiple realities) and Emile is playing a different character in each. The timelines start to blend together and the thing that keeps us grounded is the consistency of Emile's performance.

He goes big here and it was a lot of fun to follow as the movie kept flipping over on its head.

Emile often plays very serious, very grounded characters but this is a heightened world and Emile goes big here to make the moments count. I loved that. He finds the humanity and - to my delight - the humor in the character and this over the top scenario.

There is a lot of fun dialogue and the script really works, leaving a lot open for interpretation, imo. It's a very indie film... but I think the rough edges give the film an extra bit of charm. If you're a fan of Emile Hirsch or quirky head trip thrillers, this is for you.

I thought this movie was really good for what it is - a limited release, likely low budget affair. The plot was not the most original but the characters and scenes and most of the dialogue were very well written compared to other movies like this. I grade it a 10 with this in mind against similar movies, not some blockbuster masterpiece. The film kept my attention to the end. The only distracting part was some of the background actors, the film was filmed in Italy but the plot is in Texas, there were some obviously Italian actors trying hard to sound like Texas but you could hear the accents. Filmography wise I thought it was done very well again.

Is this a 10 all time against all competition? No, obviously, but when judged against similar competition it sure is. It felt like a normal higher budget movie (aside from the extra actors with a couple lines), and looked really nice. It flowed spectacularly so pacing was great, and the scenes/writing naturally evolved. These are things lower budget movies tend to fail on which makes them feel low budget and cheap. I'm not sure what the budget was here but I presume pretty low given the limited release and for that it stands near the top.

Honestly I felt that I had a duty to warn people about this film, I did the mistake of watching it for Emile Hirsch, but sadly he is no different than so many stars who agreed to do low grade movies.

I'm not gonna get into details about the story or any other element in the film, they are simply all baddddd. So in conclusion avoid at all costs and save yourself from a very painful experience.

Honestly I felt that I had a duty to warn people about this film, I did the mistake of watching it for Emile Hirsch, but sadly he is no different than so many stars who agreed to do low grade movies.

I'm not gonna get into details about the story or any other element in the film, they are simply all baddddd. So in conclusion avoid at all costs and save yourself from a very painful experience.

I thought the storyline was interesting. It kept my attention throughout the whole movie, and kept me wondering how it would unfold until the end. Some reviews said it was obvious, but I didn't think it was. Maybe the general idea becomes obvious, but I felt like the specifics and how it would play out was not.

Some of the side actors were not the best, but the leads were good. Overall I felt like it was a great low budget film. I also feel like it's the kind of film you have to really pay attention the whole time, which I like. I didn't ever feel like I wanted it to just get to the point. I enjoyed the whole ride.

If that headline grabbed you to you, then this is very likely a movie you will enjoy. I went into this with low expectations and soon found myself sucked all the way in.

The story is set on the Texas/Mexico border, but seems like most of it was shot in Italy.. with a mostly Italian cast... One prominent character is dubbed...Half of the time we are in a small, dusty Southwest town and the other half is spent in a mental institution.

It's not a Spaghetti Western or a giallo exactly, but it certainly has that vibe... and that's a vibe I really dig. There are also elements here from the psychological noir, sci-fi, horror, crime and thriller genres... not a blend you see everyday.

Emile Hirsch is terrific in this, the best I've ever seen him in a low budget movie. He's quite likable and surprisingly funny.

The sense of humor, in the screenplay and in Emile's performance, really elevate this and made it a very fun watch for me and my wife.

Tatjana Nardone is also a standout. I hadn't seen her in anything before but I'm sure that will change. The script is full of good twists and reveals that we didn't see coming. And it builds and builds to a really fun third act and finale.

So if you're in the mood for a low-fi, Memento-style mindbender with a sense of humor, then look no further!