Sympathy

I can't believe the gushing reviews for this film - it has to be relatives or friends of the filmmaker and/or cast and if so - I get it. I understand how you want to support an effort by friends and there is some talent behind the film but NOT Hitchcock for crissakes. Get a hold of yourself. Now if it is true that a bunch of locals made this in a barn structure in Indiana - that is impressive to pull this all together and get it made. But the script and the two male leads reek of bad college experimental theatre - lots of screaming and then threatening whispers - guns and knives being pointed - just lame Tarantino posing. The girl - who is handcuffed to a bed most of the picture gives a solid performance - she's believable - you look in her eyes and see wheels turning but the two male actors just seem like amateurs - not believable at all - you can yell all you want but I don't believe for a second that you are dangerous. And look - the film got released on DVD - that's big - that will get it seen by a lot of people but people who have nothing to do with the production - just film fans who paid money to rent it or buy it and they are entitled to say what they think - and I think it is a good effort but overall - it drags and sputters and doesn't really work overall.

Two people, a criminal and his hostage hole up in a dingy hotel room during a dark stormy night, only to be joined by an enigmatic third who takes them both hostage in this tense little independent film.

I was a bit cold to this movie when it first started due to some overacting in the beginning but after I warmed up to it and got used to the stage play mentality of the piece, I found it to be quite interesting. The movie slowly burns to a fairly taunt third act that makes the film all the more worthwhile. Well-acted all around and while not the best low-budget movie I've seen, it is remarkable well-done especially given its limitations.

Note to all you first time filmmakers that embark on the journey of making a low budget horror or thriller film – 'Keep it Simple'.

If only more directors without much funding would take this to heed we would get more films like Long Pigs and Sympathy and less like The Landlord and Dead Noon.

This was not lost on director Andrew Moorman who took a smart thriller by writer Arik Martin and turned it into a very competent and highly entertaining film called Sympathy.

The beauty of the film is in its simplicity. The story has but three characters and all takes place in a motel room. That is where a suggested bank robber named Tripp (Steven Pritchard) brings his hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen) and handcuffs her to the bed. While trying to formulate an escape plan, Tripp's getaway is interrupted by Dennis (Aaron Boucher), an escaped convict who coincidentally end up in the same room with multiple agendas.

In a film style that clearly pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brain DePalma, the three characters will spend an evening revealing depths of their personalities while setting in motion an intense cat-and-mouse game convoluted with bulging egos and personal motivations.

To further obstruct a clean getaway, characters will be shot, stabbed and emotionally tormented as the story unfolds revealing characters that are not whom they appear to be. The final chapters will include a blood soaked ending that will remind you of an early Tarantino work and a satisfying end to an evening's odyssey.

Kudos to director Andrew Moorman for not trying to squeeze more out of the intelligent script than what was pressed onto the straight to DVD release. His directing was able to hide from this seasoned reviewer a reveal that I didn't see coming (granted it wasn't M. Night-ish, but it still generated a 'wow' response).

When producing a movie with one setting and limited characters, it is important to have strong acting to accompany the script pages or all is lost. Pritchard, Shtelen and Boucher put on believable performances even if the acting is at times uneven. Shtelen in particular starts off weak, but by the end of the film, she plays the role of Sara with a seasoned confidence.

Revealing any specifics would be an injustice to anyone who follows this review with a screening, but as low budget, independent films go, this one ranks in the top tier.

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I discovered this movie while building the schedule for my new film festival. Now called Maelstrom Festival of Horror and the Fantastic.

It was so well received at the screening that I am bringing it back for Crypticon Seattle. It will play at 11:00pm Friday night the 23rd of May.

This is a film worth checking out. If you spend any time looking at small indie films you will appreciate "Sympathy". Powerful and compelling find it and watch it.

People stuck in a room after a heist. What are they doing in the hotel room and who is really calling the shots?

SYMPATHY has its good and bad points. The best thing about it is the ending, which is a cool, twisty resolution. It's also very satisfying. The final 15 minutes are -almost- worth the wait.

The problem lies in what's involved in getting there!

At 105 minutes, it all seems to drag on endlessly. This is mostly due to its taking place entirely in one tiny motel room. At first, this adds to the tension and feel of claustrophobia. However, this wears off as it becomes static with the characters going back and forth over the same conversations.

If about 20 minutes had been excised from this movie, it would have been far less tedious. As it stands, much of the suspense is dissipated by the overall bloat...