Everlasting

I was able to catch a screening of Everlasting at the Nevermore Film Festival, where it won Jury Award for Best US Feature. In my opinion, it has a little something for nearly everyone. It's at its core a love story, a tale of two misfit star crossed teen lovers. But it's also a mystery and a thriller, with a broad reach - stretching from your average high school classroom to the seedy underbelly of LA's fetish scene, from beautiful, bright fields, to the dimly lit living room of a murderer.

First and foremost, the film is beautifully shot and well written, weaving the story from a mix of video clips (from a school project), memories, and real time episodes. The non-linear and multi-mode fashion could have turned out clunky and awkward, but it moves us quite smoothly to the climax. The intermittent scenes that capture the young couple in nature, as they make their trip from Denver to LA, are some of the most haunting as they seem to capture the true essence of teen love and that feeling of immortality and bravado that accompanies youth, even in the face of undeniable change.

The lead actors are believable in their roles. Valentina de Angelis portrays Jessie as both adventurous and vulnerable, as she is drawn to the dark side of humanity that ultimately leads to her downfall. Adam David as Matt, her estranged boyfriend desperate for closure and driven by a need to preserve Jessie's true nature. A strong cadre of supporting actors round out the story as well.

Possibly the most jarring aspect of the film is its plausibility. This is the type of story we hear on the news. Another lost girl trying to find her way taken too soon. And though some may not find the ending sensational enough, it felt real. These crimes do happen. The victims are blamed and the perpetrators become renowned and celebrated. Everlasting tries to take that victory away from the criminal by focusing on Matt and Jessie, and their story. Watching this film left me sad, but touched, because it is truly successful in making you care about the characters.

I like non linear storytelling so that automatically makes this movie right up my alley. I would definitely call it more of a thriller than a horror movie, so if you're looking for out and out blood and guts, this is not that kind of movie. But so what? The story is what's important and that's the big plus with this movie. I like that they take their time and don't allow the audience to get ahead of the movie. The story tells enough visually that some of the dialogue wasn't necessary, but that's speaks more positively about the visual effectiveness of this movie as opposed to saying something negative about the dialogue. All and all an enjoyable indie film!

This film is a thriller about a high school student's search for his girlfriend's killer. More compelling to me, it's the story of a lost girl trying to break out of her sad life, never realizing that she's enough. This film captures the intensity of first love, well played by Valentina de Angelis as the doomed Jessie and Adam David as Matt, the boy who loves her. Elizabeth Röhm plays Jessie's mother who can't get her act together long enough to notice how much her daughter needs her.

This is a unique exploration of taboos and violence told through the eyes, and camera, of Matt a brooding teenager whose girlfriend, Jessie, went missing and was discovered dead after entering an underworld of drugs, fetish modeling and increasingly dark appetites. The performances weren't over the top or melodramatic, the story unfolded in unexpected ways taking the viewer on a chilling ride.

It was interesting to see Jessie's character take shape largely in the past tense, through flashbacks and the video footage taken by Matt the blend of mediums with the video camera included as a plot element was not hokey at all but rather helped the story take shape in a pseudo documentary style. I would expect to see more of Adam Perez (Matt) and Valentina de Angelis, two young actors who seem poised for big roles in the future.

All in all a very unique and riveting indie film. Well worth the watch!

'EVERLASTING': Four Stars (Out of Five)

An indie teen-romance/crime-drama; about a high school filmmaker that's trying to catch his girlfriend's killer. The story is told in real time, mixed with home video flashbacks (filmed by the young director). It was written and directed by sophomore feature filmmaker Anthony Stabley; and it stars Valentina de Angelis, Adam David, Elisabeth Rohm, Michael Massee (in his last film role, before his death), Bai Ling, Pat Healey, Robert LaSardo and Cortney Palm (in a cameo appearance). I found it to be a pretty interesting, and well made little indie flick.

Matt (David) and Jessie (de Angelis) were two misfit high school outcasts, that felt like they were deeply in love. Then Jessie decided she needed to move to Los Angeles, from Colorado, and become a model there. After becoming a small success (in that business), and experiencing society's darker side, Jessie turns up dead (murdered by a serial killer). Matt then decides to travel to L.A., to confront the killer, after he receives a package from him. He documents his experiences, with his camera, along the way.

The movie is surprisingly well made; for a mostly unheard of low- budget little indie flick. It's beautifully filmed, acted and well written (the dialogue mostly seems believable). I especially like Valentina de Angelis in the lead; she's very beautiful, and quite talented. Palm is always a scene-stealer, but her part is too brief, and the veteran actors all do a good job. I think the film has a lot of interesting things to say, and it mostly seems genuine, but it doesn't quite all come together right (by it's ending). I expected a little more, but it is a good watch.

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