Stinking Heaven

Bunch of sick people thinking they are on some healing path but only getting sicker

Here's the plot. A group home for a bunch of psychotic socially inept borderline insane asylum characters. And they are to address their personal problems by acting out their feelings and role playing. And all this is overseen by the head wack-o Jim who imagines himself as some sort of psycho therapist.

If you want to watch a bunch of - I wanna be an actor - types make fools of themselves and label it acting then this flick is just the thing. I didn't quite understand what I was watching at first. Then it became clear. Somebodys home project to break into cinema school maybe? I don't really know.

Each character needed their pills and I guess mr director locked them up and would not hand them out until the project was finished. Save yourself and don't bother to suffer this flick of a bunch of suffering actors trying to get their pills. Just take your pills and go outside for an hours walk - you'll be better for it!

Greetings again from the darkness. This narrative entry at the Oak Cliff Film Festival takes place in a sober living commune located in Passaic, New Jersey around 1990. It's a live-in self-help environment that seems to do everything but help, and probably not far removed from the "protective" environments offered by Jim Jones, Charles Manson and David Koresh.

The rules of the house, as administered by married couple Jim (Keith Poulson) and Lucy (Deragh Campbell) make complete sense on the index card, but seem to have little effect on the residents. Kicking off with a marriage ceremony between two members of the group, followed by a family style dinner … the story follows the same path of the origin of the word "Honeymoon" as told by the groom. We see the peak of happiness and then follow the slow descent in bleakness.

Part of the "therapy" involves filming cruel reenactments of life's low point for each of the recovering addicts. Remember, these aren't just flawed individuals, but rather deeply damaged emotionally. They are each weak and insecure, and these emotions make for a tension-packed living environment … hardly one that promotes any type of healing.

Director Nathan Silver's ensemble cast is very strong, especially Tallie Medel and Hannah Gross … both offering hope for future projects. Having never been an addict, I can't imagine how tough it must be to get clean and stay clean; however, my instincts tell me that group living in a home that makes their own fermented tea in the bathtub may not be the best solution.

Stumbled upon this movie by accident. Was absolutely floored by it. Nathan Silver and his team have achieved greatness. It possesses a unique and fully formed voice. Hard to believe that this is the first film I've seen from Silver. Shot beautifully, expertly acted and full of gorgeous emotion. At times it is hilarious. However, a strong emotional core pulses throughout. The home video aesthetic served the material incredibly well. The rhythm is wild yet gripping, leading you towards a perfect end. Highly recommended. This picture is one of my all time favorite films. I cannot wait to see what this team does next.

-Andrew

It's funny when you come across a film this good with such a low imdb rating. Saw this film at a Mezzanine screening a little while back, q&a with Nathan, moderated by Jonathan Lethem. Was taken completely off guard by it in the most pleasant way. Not exactly sure why I'm leaving this review other than the fact that it feels totally disrespectful and misunderstood to have such a low rating here. Never mind any newfound relevancy of the cast (as amazing and talented as they are, and as much as they make the film what it is...), the film stands on its own as a masterpiece. If you're a fan of Cassavetes or the Dogma 95 films you will likely love and respect this film. At the very least it will jibe.