Second-Story Man

If you want a thought provoking movie that will make you do something with your gray matter besides letting it act like a sponge this is it. It presents real life, real people in all their rawness, which makes the audience able to relate to the characters. No Hollywood stars here to distract attention from the story, just great young actors whose performances are outstanding. In his directing, Neal Dhand pays close attention to details, from the choice of camera angle to the environmental details within each scene. He takes young actors and gets them to immerse themselves so thoroughly into their roles that it feels like you are no so much watching a movie, but spying on the real lives of the characters. After seeing it you'll be thinking about it for the next day and then you'll just need to watch it again.

I have seen this movie three times. The second time, I was surprised to find that I appreciated it so much more. The third time, I was prepared to be bored; however, I found myself completely wrapped up in the dilemma of the main character. His struggles with these feelings of revenge really captivated me and I found the ending particularly powerful. The score is unobtrusive but perfectly reflects the emotions portrayed. It speaks volumes without being distracting - exactly what a score should do. I will be looking for the main actors in other films. It will be interesting to see the breadth of their performances. Zaira Crystal is a natural and bears watching in the future. Second Story Man fleshes out a complicated emotion with a minimum of dialogue- a real credit to all involved.