Black Fly

One sort of groans when the phrase "Inspired by true events" or some such is emblazoned within the precis of a film. You know that there's a 75% chance of it being boring, apart from the bits that take a tad of artistic license. This film falls easily into that 75%. I mean basically you know what happens if someone hacks off a multi-gun owning slack-jawed yokel nut job, by boffing their partner or in any other way - death - and, of course, it does happen, several times in fact. To make matters worse, there are several loose ends with unanswered questions. Don't waste 90 minutes on this - starts boringly and doesn't get much better The only good thing about it is that it says a lot for tightening gun laws.

I saw this indie feature over a year ago, and I still think about it. That means it's a good thriller. Gritty and suspenseful, and you don't know what's going to happen next. The characters are well thought out, and believable. Cinematography captures the environment so well that you feel everything. Jason Bourque has a well written script, superbly directed, and the actors were brave enough to go to some tough places! You won't be disappointed.

There's definitely a decent story here, and pretty strong character development. It wasn't at all boring, in my opinion. The rising tension is done effectively, and we believe every decision each character makes. Also, the ending was appropriate and not overly contrived.

It did at times, however, feel like the actors were kind of *playing* at being country bumpkins with a tough start in life. That is, the acting didn't feel entirely authentic. The actress who plays Paula, for example, went way over the top with the melodrama. I was rolling my eyes at her a little by the end. I felt similar about the actor who played Noel. Just a little too much screaming and kicking when a bit more subtlety would have been much more effective.

It made me think of the movie Affliction, an indie drama from (I believe, without checking) the '90s, starring Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek. It's the same kind of themes but much better acting. Anyway, Black Fly is a decent watch even if it's a bit forgettable.

I was quite impressed with this independent film, which was shot in my home landscape. I've met the director, and know the budget was under $1 million and was shot in 14 days. But the scope of the story was a smart match for this budget; it never felt crippled, nor low-budget. The quality was high throughout.

Black Fly is very well directed, written, acted, filmed, edited, and scored. I was deeply engaged in the narrative from the beginning to the end, worried about the characters, and not able to predict what would happen next.

The landscape was very familiar to me, and was a rich aspect of the film, whether it was the interiors of the home, the forest, or workplace scenes. It was beautifully filmed, while being honest to the landscape, and this gave a rich atmosphere to the story.

Each of the performances were strong. In particular I was engaged by the older brother's performance (Noel, played by Matthew MacCaull), who reminded me of real people I knew in my youth!

I also appreciated the theme of the story, the younger brother try to find a home which was healthy, as best as he could in a very broken situation.

Apparently this film is inspired by true events so that may be the reason why there aren't any crazy "twists" to speak of. The casting and pacing is good and the production value high. It doesn't really add anything new to the "redneck loses his marbles so let the massacre begin" genre but I found it entertaining despite not caring much for any of characters. The younger brother protagonist is nice enough but not much time was devoted to his backstory nor did he do that much to be super likeable IMO. He was nice enough and obviously going through tough times but I didn't feel compelled to root for him. The girlfriend was a neurotic mess who would probably jump off a cliff if told to do so. The antagonist older brother was acted out just fine but at the end of the day he was basically just another easily triggered psychopath with zero empathy. If you subscribe to a video service that includes this then ypu might want to give it a go but I wouldn't spend money to rent it. 6 stars from me.