Hellion

A heartfelt story delivered in a subtle and effective way reminiscent of David Gordon Green's, JOE, and Jeff Nichols', MUD (I wasn't surprised to see Jeff's name in the credits).

Nicely understated, beautifully shot and with a great breakout performance from Josh Wiggins. Aaron Paul avoids what could otherwise be a clichéd father-gone-wrong with a beautifully underplayed performance. The incomparable Juliette Lewis brings a vulnerability to one of the least fragile characters she's ever played and overall HELLION breathes easily throughout its ebbs and flows.

Kat Candler did a great job in the director's chair and Aaron Paul should be commended for his support of emerging filmmakers and independent film.

Hellion also known as Retribution is a slight tale from writer and director Kat Candler which has slow, unrushed placing.

The film chronicles a family on the edge of destruction in rural Southeast Texas. Jacob Wilson (Josh Wiggins) likes heavy metal and loves motocross biking. He and his mates also get into vandalism and arson. Unfortunately for them, for every wrong move they make the police are immediately on to them.

His father Hollis (Aaron Paul) is also broken. He his grieving over the loss of his wife, drinks too much and not spending enough time to look after his two children, their house is squalid. Hollis was a one time local baseball star. His actions also brings him to the attention of the police. The behaviour of both puts the younger son Wes at risk and into the hands of the child protection services who have him fostered out to his aunt Pam (Juliette Lewis.)

Things take a turn for the worse when Jacob and his gang go to the aunt's house to visit Wes.

The film has naturalistic performances from the child actors which is the big plus for the film. Everything is low key, fatalistic even. The only thing sunny here is the weather. The pacing is uneven as the film is a slow burner. There is too much contrivances, the police seem to be always there when there is trouble which is hard to swallow.

There is irony to see Lewis being terrorised at the end of the movie from a gang of kids, after all she did her share of terrorising twenty years ago in films like Natural Born Killers.

As a foreigner traveling in America, I would classify this as . . .exemplary Amercian Cinema. The inclusion of guns and authority issues noted. But this is raw, truthful American cinema; no Hollywood/Disney fluff. This is the purest kind of family tauma about the remnants of a family trying to stay together. Again, the "Amercicanisms" of guns and violence and famly dysfunctionality overlooked, this is just good American drama. Kudos to the cast and writers.

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.

The loss of a loved one is a devastating occurrence that's never easy to cope with. Some families can handle it with strength and composure. Some are less successful and fall apart. Kat Candler's Hellion, an expansion of her 2012 short of the same name, is a searing portrayal of the latter. We meet this family in a state of total disarray and follow them as they struggle to reconnect their tattered bonds, with near-disastrous results. It's not an easy film to watch, but because Candler portrays this journey in such an earnest and compelling fashion, and because she has great help from a wonderful cast of both experienced actors and up-and-comers, you can't take your eyes off of the screen.

When we meet Hollis (Aaron Paul) and his two sons, Jacob (Josh Wiggins) and his younger brother, Wes (Deke Garner), they have already lost their wife/mother. Hollis has basically abandoned his children, spending his days renovating a hurricane-ravaged beach house where they were all planning to move to before the tragedy. Jacob has become a troublemaker, doing everything from trespassing to property destruction. Within the film's opening minutes, we witness him and his buddies smashing up and setting fire to a truck. What's worse is that Jacob involves Wes in his law-breaking excursions. When they see the conditions in which he is living, Child Protective Services decides to place Wes in the custody of his Aunt Pam (Juliette Lewis). This serves as a wake-up call to both Jacob and Hollis, who decide to get their acts together and create a more suitable environment for the youngster. Jacob sets his sights on competitive motocross racing, while Hollis aims to finish up the beach house.

Candler, a native Texan, and cinematographer Brett Pawlak (doing stunning work) really capture the natural feel of her southern setting. The on-location shooting gives the film an authentic feel, as well as serves as a sort of love letter to her home state. You can sense how passionate Candler is about Texas through the ways in which it is lensed. This is not Hollywood fakery. The authentic feel of the locations helps to build upon the authentic feel of the story. Its impact is much more powerful because of this. Also notable is the use of heavy metal music, something not usually present in this type of story. It serves as a way of conveying the anger the boys are feeling in their current situation. It's an extra touch that works perfectly and makes this stand out from similar films.

The two big name actors in this film, Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis, are both fantastic. Paul makes Hollis, an absent father, into a more sympathetic figure than he could've been. Although we don't always agree with what Hollis does, we feel the pain that he does, and so we understand where he's coming from. This is a wonderful addition to his post-Breaking Bad career. Lewis, given a chance to play a more grounded character than the wackier roles she's known for, does an equally great job. Though not his mother, it's clear that Pam loves Wes and wants what's best for him.

However, as good as Paul and Lewis are, the real stars of this film are the newcomers. Josh Wiggins, a star in the making, perfectly captures all of the emotions needed to portray the troubled Jacob, from love and happiness to anger and desperation. He is game for whatever is needed of him, which is great considering he has to go to some dark places. Equally solid is Deke Garner as the younger brother caught up in circumstances he doesn't fully understand. He serves as the heart of the film, motivating the actions of Jacob, Hollis, and Pam. Providing able support are the kids playing Jacob's cronies. Candler has selected an incredibly talented young whom we will hopefully see up on screen more frequently.

Between the acting, the direction, the cinematography, and the themes of loss and responsibility, Hellion is one of the best and most powerful films released thus far in 2014. Though it may not break new ground in terms of its story, Candler brings a unique-enough feel to it to make it stand out. Apparently she is currently working on a feature expansion of another great short of hers, Black Metal. Based on the level of quality present in this, that can't come out soon enough!