Hellion

I was confused that they made this a full length movie and thought really this could better as a TV show or mini-series. Giving more of a background to the challenges the family has come across and an understanding of the community and the fathers relationships in the community.

The back luck situation was typical of many TV dramas. Husband loses Wife and gets depressed resulting in a diet of beer and fast food and emotional distancing for the family. Nothing really fresh.

However I admire that the story does not go Disney and the characters and development of events are quite believable. So if you want a look into the life of hard knocks and love Mid-West accents this is the movie for you :-)

I was lucky enough to see this movie at Sundance 2014. Let's start at the beginning with the first notes of the metal soundtrack writer and director Kat Candler has chosen to infuse this movie with a unique, dark but powerful energy. The music sets the tone perfectly for the roiling anger and frustration the characters wrestle with in this film.

I won't go too much into the plot because part of what is beautiful about this movie is how the story unfolds and watching the characters ride the roller coaster of loss, hope, joy, love, fear, pride - all of it. It's amazing that in such a short amount of time, Candler can find all those moments, no matter how fleeting. Much of that comes from the script, but it wouldn't be so successfully conveyed without the strength of her performers.

I have not watched Breaking Bad so I came into this with no preconceived ideas of Aaron Paul as an actor. He is fantastic in this movie. As a father who has lost his anchor with the death of his wife, you can see him struggling with his own demons as he also knows he has to do right by his sons. Newcomer Josh Wiggins has a face that shows everything, every wince of hurt and disappointment and every twinkle of mischief. The supporting cast is also phenomenal. The kids are all actors who are new to film and yet they are completely natural and you will feel deeply for each of them. Juliette Lewis, an actress I have never seen act beyond her quirkiness, gives the most grounded, authentic performance I have ever seen from her.

This movie is being released nationally this summer in theaters and on VOD. Don't miss it.

Greetings again from the darkness. This is the perfect Film Festival movie: low budget, recognizable star trying something new, up and coming director, and potential star in the making newcomer. While it has an air of familiarity, there was enough here to make it one of my favorites from the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival.

Writer/director Kat Candler has a definite feel for creating real moments for characters, as she expands her 2012 short to feature length. She was also wise enough to nab cinematographer Brett Pawlak, who did such a great job with Short Term 12 (one of my top six films of 2013). The blue collar life gets a twist here as Aaron Paul (on top of the world after "Breaking Bad") plays an alcoholic, emotionally-distant, grieving widower having to deal with his two sons when he can barely make it through a day. This is certainly a different kind of role for Mr. Paul, and he shows real depth with minimal dialogue.

As impressive as Paul is, the real find here is young Josh Wiggins as Jacob. It's his first screen role and he absolutely owns the role of the big brother lashing out at his dad, corrupting his little brother (due to jealousy) and dealing with things that kids his age shouldn't have to. Not to give away much, but one too many incidents leads to a visit from Child Protective Services, and just like that ... the family is torn apart again.

The real guts of the story is the parallel paths of father and son as they react to the displacement of little Wes (Deke Garner). Neither seems to fully accept the role they played in this mess, but both carry sorrow and anger the way males often do. Both pursue their own idea of proving something to Wes and to themselves - in very different ways. Juliette Lewis seems a bit out of place as Paul's sister, and is the only minor misstep in the script. We needed either more on her, or less.

Rural Texas and the challenges of youth are captured through so many details, and the realistic feel of dialogue and setting certainly stands out here ... as does the spot on camera work. This is one of the little movies I am really rooting for, because if it gets a chance, many will share my appreciation.

My review title is basically what it comes down to. The film is fine, not really original, not that great, but well-done enough. The script has clichés but that doesn't mean it's not effective, and the direction well-observed. Really, the cinematography is exquisite, although not necessarily surprising. It has that certain sort of glare that so many indies these days have, and in ways it helps it aesthetically, even if at times it does seem a bit too overly self-conscious. It's fine though, it's not a huge deal and it mostly works well enough. Aaron Paul is good, he's great at this kind of misery stuff, but Josh Wiggins is a star in the making, similar to Tye Sheridan in his naturalism.

Hellion tells the story of a delinquent, rebellious teenager named Jacob who is coasting through life on fumes. He lives in a low income home with his emotionally absent father, Hollis (played brilliantly by Aaron Paul). The story chronicles the growth between the two and proves that you can become a man at any age whether you are 13 or 40. While Hellion delivers a heavy handed message through heavy metal and motocross, the story is very bare bones and when some nice meaty scenes come our way, they are done and over with in thirty seconds. This never really allows us to truly connect to these characters in the way that director Kat Candler wants us to. The only thing that really keeps us connected to the story (or lack thereof) are the actors. There is not one bad performance in this film and that is a huge compliment to all those involved, especially when you take subject matter as melodramatic as this is. Aaron Paul gives a subtle and controlled performance as Hollis, a disillusioned father who surrounds his boys with figures from his unsavory lifestyle. What Aaron Paul does best is convey pain just by moving his eyes a certain way, and this film really showcases this man's talent. Child actor Josh Wiggins gives another powerhouse performance as Jacob, an unruly and emotionally unstable teenager. Not since Tye Sheridan have I seen a child actor this good and I am truly excited to see what he does next. The supporting cast includes Juliette Lewis doing what she does best, playing a white trash mother-figure that tries to do right. While she has made a career out of playing this type of character, this does it better than any other actress could. The direction and writing is sub par compared to the talent in front of the camera. The story is jumbled and, at times, a bit unrealistic and some of the dialog is a little heavy handed no matter how well Aaron Paul can deliver it. Overall, Hellion is a decent indie drama that is sure to turn heads because of Aaron Paul and Josh Wiggins, but other than that, there's not too much to it.