Running Through Darkness

This, by far, is more than another independent film! It is a gem of work from the storyline to the cinematography, to the soundtrack. Peter O'Brien has accomplished a very good feature film. This was premiered at The Nyack Film Festival, Nyack, New York this past August. Running Through Darkness won "Best Feature Length Film' and 'Best Soundtrack!'

I stumbled on while chillin' on Tubi. Yeah, it's an oldie but it fresh, but let me tell ya, it ain't playin' by the rules. Running Through Darkness ain't your typical jam-it's breakin' all them societal expectations, ya feel me? It's ahead of its time, straight up. So, here's the deal: it's about this regular dude Calvin, played by Landon Beard, who comes across this messed-up chick, Robin, played by Lillian Bornstein. She's been left for dead, and bam! Calvin gets sucked into her shady, messed-up world, yo. No spoilers, but lemme tell ya, this indie gem's a real eye-opener. It's worth a watch, no cap.

I ran across this crime thriller on the streaming service Tubi and although it is an older movie (2018) it does a great job at bucking social norms and expectations. Definitely ahead of it's time. Running Through Darkness is a tale of an ordinary guy Calvin (played by Landon Beard), who discovers a beaten and left for dead woman Robin (played by Lillian Bornstein), and he is immediately pulled into her dark and dangerous world. I don't want to give away any spoilers but I will tell you this indie gem is worth a watch. I give the cast and crew two thumbs up and recommend this movie to anyone who likes a thrilling crime drama.

Our main protagonist goes out for a jog and finds an old flame beaten by the side of the road. She asks for his help, to kill the man who hurt her. He looks into this guy who turns out to be a proper nutcase. But suddenly he is in danger because this volatile guy wants something from him. Now both his morality and his will to survive are challenged and he must decide on how to get out of this nightmare. We follow his struggle, question his reasoning and ultimately root for him to survive this ordeal.

Despite the budget constraints I feel that this indie has achieved what it set to do, pull us into the world of deceit and despair, where we root for the protagonist to come out alive.

All too often you see people of color portrayed in films as either racial stereotypes, or scapegoats for racial stereotypes. This film stands tall and just tells a simple story about people in an insane situation. It was so great to see a black protagonist not bound by social expectations. I kept waiting for that to come into play and it never did. A great surprise. Very progressive.

Character and casting aside, the film itself is pretty impressive. It reminded me of what independent films were like, before celebrities started making them their pet projects. Obviously no one famous was involved. I didn't recognize anyone in the film, which helped lend credibility to the characters and situations. There were some very tense moments between the main character and the bad guy.

One thing that really stood out to me was the music. It hit in all the right places and set a perfect tone for the film. OH! And the chase scene was a lot of fun, too. Thank you to the filmmakers for putting out such a truly independent film. A lot better than most of the stuff I've seen in the theaters (and online) lately.