Ragged Heart

The film is a drama with a bit of a supernatural element to it. It focuses around a rusted out singer dealing with his past regrets after the untimely death of his daughter. She leaves him with the final song she wrote and he is left to figure out what it means, and help finish the song she started.

Shot in and around the music scene of Athens, GA, this films has alot of heart and soul to it. The film looks outstanding with some great cinematography. The writing is done really well, directing is top notch. The acting really stands out in this film. Eddie Craddock was grounded and raw in the role of Wyatt, Willow Avalon was haunting in the role as the depressed young singer Miranda, and Joshua Mikel killed it with role as the struggling producer Delcan.

Really solid independent film, and shocking that this is a first feature film for many of the folks involved. Immense talent from the whole crew.

If I were to put a rating on it, solid 8/10! Highly recommended!

I saw this at the Brooklyn Film Festival and I was expecting more of a musical or at least to have more singing on stage tbh. This was deeper and sadder and had more to do with the dad trying to figure out what happened to his daughter. He's basically looking for proof that he wasn't a bad dad after all which ends up being harder than he expected.

The actress playing his daughter was there and did a question and answer afterwards. She was really sweet and seemed like she had fun making the film but it was difficult to make at times because it was a smaller budget film and they had to deal with bad weather. But she did a great job and she's really pretty and also mysterious in the movie that left you guessing on what she was really up to. I don't know if a lot of people will get to see this but it's interesting and has an interesting look to it.

This has such a believable tone throughout. It feels like you're a fly on the wall watching real people work though their issues, take each other on and find meaning in their lives. The acting is so believable throughout - especially the main actor who plays Wyatt. The believability comes from mixing talented experienced actors with real people who live in the area. In some movies this would make the scenes stiff and forced but here it feels very alive.

The look has a little bit of a documentary style but.at the same time still looks like a real movie with some really nice shots. The editing is also very smooth. Some scenes might dwell on little details and interactions too long for some audience but I liked how it took its time and let us spend time in the world instead of rushing to the main highlights.

This is how independent films used to be made, warts and all. No stunt casting. No big time production company or producer or actor behind the scenes.

And you can feel the grit and heart that went into it.

The story takes its time allowing you to get into the actors. And I suspect most of them are acting out versions of their real lives. If someone works in a pawnshop in the film, it feels like that's their real job and they aren't just wearing a costume. That's probably why the acting feels so good.

I would've liked to see even more music in the film but that's my personal preference. There's enough there to make it feel like it's a true music film.

It's also about real, believable situations where there aren't clear cut good and bad characters, even though it seems like it at first.

If you're looking for a well-made, truly independent movie, it's worth checking Ragged Heart out. It's free on Tubi.