Beside Still Waters

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Chris Lowell co-wrote the story with Mohit Narang, and there is really no other way to describe it than a modern day redux of The Big Chill (1983). If you are familiar with that film from 30+ years ago, you remember the narcissism, strained friendships, and emotional turmoil that were offset by a best-selling soundtrack. Three decades later we witness narcissism run amok and a crumbled version of friendship, this time offset by the guzzling of alcohol.

Daniel (Ryan Eggold, TV's "The Blacklist") has organized a reunion of his childhood friends back at the cabin on the lake where they shared many a summer. Daniel's parents recently died in a car accident, and none of his "friends" showed up for the funeral ... hence, the crumbled version of friendship. As they begin showing up, we immediately categorize each: Tom (Beck Bennett, "Saturday Night Live") is the wise-cracking slacker, James (Brett Dalton) is the TV Reality Show celebrity, Martin (Will Brill) and Abby (Erin Drake) are the high school sweethearts stuck in a strained marriage, and Charley (Jessy Hodges) is the free-spirited chick with a lust-filled history. The arrival of Daniel's old flame Olivia (Britt Lower) is offset by her fiancé Henry (Reid Scott). May the oddballs be ever in your favor.

Sounding like the old man I am quickly becoming, this generation of thirty-somethings left me quite saddened. What made The Big Chill work, was the actual bond that tied the group together. Remember, they all showed up for a funeral ... rather than being summoned for skipping one. The original group had charm, personality and were interesting, whereas this group remains focused on their own problems - oblivious to the needs and feelings of others. They find the bottom of a bottle or drugging an adversary to be actual solutions, rather than resorting to the effort involved with intimacy or conversation. Yes, sad I am.

Despite my issues with the possibility of this being an accurate portrayal of this generation, there are plenty of positives with the film. Lovell truly has a photographer's eye and uses it for much of the camera work ... it's beautifully shot. Also, each member of this ensemble jump right in to their characters and do a superb job. There is also a terrific segment of three conversations edited together that play off each other like some kind of wonderful parlor game. It's the highlight of the film.

While much of the film plays like a passive-aggressive expose', the script leaves no room for interpretation or analysis ... Daniel actually spells out his true misguided mission. The game of Whisky Slaps works not just as a scene, but also as a metaphor for watching the movie.

This self-indulgent pile of crap might be somewhat palatable if even one of the characters were likable. I could forgive the fact that the entire plot is tired and hackneyed (see The Big Chill, Peter's Friends, St. Elmo's Fire, and about a dozen other movies that are exactly like this) if there were one character I liked or gave a damn about, but every, single character is an annoying, clawing, self-centered jerk. It's a bad sign when you can't even feel bad for the guy whose parents have just dropped dead in an accident. Every cliché is played to the hilt in this movie. It's not remotely interesting to look at, which seems a shame, as it's set in an area which could have made for, if nothing else, really great scenery. The script feels like something a a first year film student would come up with. The acting is painfully stiff. Do yourself a favor and check out something like Your Sister's Sister or The Skeleton Twins. This one is not worth your time.

This film is beautiful. It's simple but yet brings forward so many complicated feelings. Nostalgia for things to be the way they can never be again, the desire for relationships that have been long gone, the love you have for your family and friends. Like all these things it will make you laugh and cry.

In his writing and directorial debut Chris Lowell NAILS IT. Beautifully shot and written, you can tell that this was a labour of love. That is the only way all this would come across so perfectly. I really look forward to what lies ahead for Lowell and his writing partner Mohit Narang in the future.

The cast here is full of faces you may recognize from one place or another. They are all great, understated in a way that jumps off the screen. You would think these are people that have gone through all these things together their chemistry is apparent as soon at they are all on screen.

so watch this movie (then maybe watch it again like I did) you will be glad you did.

Seldom at todays film festivals do you expect films with great writing, acting & direction, but that is exactly what "Beside Still Waters" delivers. A modern day "The Big Chill" with some new twist and turns. The ensemble cast pulls together nicely to give the audience some ownership of the problems that plague us all in these tough times. The film doesn't preach, it entertains us while reminding us how so much has gone wrong. Director Chris Lowell simply treats the audience with respect and knows they're intelligent enough to know that problems exist with the main character like the cabin being sold. Keeping it real the film has great characters with real flaws that we can relate to. Very real, very clever and very funny. A good time for sure. The short running time left me wanting a little more and that's always a good sign.

ToddBlood@me.com Exhibitors First Distribution