Among Ravens

This is a wonderful little gem of a movie. From the cinematography, with sweeping views of the Idaho mountains to the nuances of each character and their interaction, or better yet, their lack of interaction between one another. It shows our distance with one another and mis communications between family and friends. lost love and un fulfilled dreams yet our grasp at holding onto what little honor we have left. Finding redemption with the last hope of guiding ones life to fulfillment. If you take every moment seriously in this film you may not like it, but if you're smart enough to understand that this is a hyper state of reality and dive into the realm of our great Russian playwrights chaos and humor. this one's for you. It's important we support our independent film makers and not forget just how difficult it is to make movie. This is a story that should be told.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Among Ravens. I had seen the trailer and was intrigued by the idea of "Ravens" as a symbol of family and it had been quite some time since I had seen Amy Smart in a film. Let me just say, I was pleasantly surprised and thought the film was completely delightful. Filmed in the incredibly beautiful wilderness of Idaho, Among Ravens is a fun yet very emotionally compelling drama about family and human relationships. In some respects it reminded me of The Royal Tenenbaums with all its quirky characters, but with some of the seriousness and dramatic undertones of August Osage County. Overall, the performances were strong -- Amy Smart was wonderful and if you're a fan of Believe (which was sadly canceled) you will be blown away by Johnny Sequoyah's performance. If you're looking for something different, filled with real heartfelt emotion, then sit down and watch this movie.

Everyone has some sort of relationship problem, if they are in fact in a relationship. Chad just has problems. After a while this gets tiring for me.

Another couple in the group has this peaceful, spiritual attitude I can't stand. Saturn Moon is worse than her male partner, but even she gets angry. And I enjoy it when he plays the ukulele.

In addition to the scenery, the fireworks show, and occasional comedy, the best thing for me about this movie is Joey, who occasionally narrates. Johnny Sequoyah does a great job for such a young actress, and she handles herself well among all the chaos.

Don't be fooled, though. This is far from a family film. Occasionally the sound went out when I saw it, with a character's mouth blurred. This happens frequently later on, and the words likely spoken are just garbage. When was the last time you heard the F-word used the way it was intended? I believe it is used a lot here for that purpose.

I don't know her name but the jewelry salesperson was so nice and did such a good job. But who sells a $250,000 ring in an ordinary store? Don't they sell those in fabulous places where the snooty British salesperson has his nose in the air?

I thought of something else I liked. Bikinis!

This is probably a good movie and there are some performances that are worth seeing. It just didn't do much for me.

This film establishes Johnny Sequoyah as an up and coming big, big star. The script is unbelievably tight and each scene is just utter perfection. It's phenomenally well acted and produced, and the soundtrack is spot on. When they cut to Jason Isbell's God Damn Lonely Love in the bar scene I almost started clapping. And I was alone. The story itself is just great - it's tragic and beautiful and very funny. Shot entirely in Idaho, mostly in the resort town of McCall, it's visually stunning to say the least. The smoke from the ongoing forest fire seems to add the message that everything can burn, and there are relationships on fire in many different ways in this film. The ending leaves you wondering if "Joey" is Herman Hesse's Damian and you've just witnessed her coming of age. It's utterly fantastic!

This is a great film filled with beauty, complex relationships, and emotions. In my opinion, the striking cinematography and Idaho nature is what separated this film from others about dysfunctional families. I also think the raven motif carries the plot along well, especially as the ravens are related to the characters and their relationships with one another. Johnny Sequoyah's character, Joey, really stands out! She is incredibly strong throughout the movie, and her narration keeps the storyline tied together nicely. Chad, played by Will McCormack, is the other character I was drawn to. His unexpected friendship with Joey is endearing, especially as we notice that they are both outsiders observing the family vacation. Tons of great performances, I definitely recommend this film. It really does avoid clichés, and the ending is not at all predictable.