Squirrel Trap

I caught this little gem at the Palm Beach international film festival. I enjoyed the film because it took me in a direction I wasn't expecting. The characters led me down a path that was seemingly predictable. As the conclusion unfolded I laughed, cried, and screamed in terror. I was surprised in the films range and depth. It's a film that has well developed characters and a simple but effective way of getting its point across. The film was full of memorable one liners that rank with clerks and swingers. I also enjoyed the cinematography. The film takes place in the woods. It contains great sweeping shots of mountains rivers and cliffs-taking me away from the grubby sidewalks of Los Angeles. I encourage all to watch this film-it's a lot of fun and sure to be an indy classic.

Reading the synopsis, I thought, oh no, here we go again. Yet another predictable, 'college kids get methodically slaughtered on a school outing' type of movie. How wrong I was.

Like a tightening noose, 'Squirrel Trap' starts to allure and fascinate, slowly tempting you, teasing and increasing the tension. You never quite know what is going to happen. The protagonist is David, (actor Keith Stahle) who plays the gently shy, slightly unnerving student genius in a grounded, intense and nuanced performance.

I enjoyed everything about this unusual, thoughtful and emotional film. Great writing and direction, five fascinating main characters, and if that wasn't enough, magnificent sound and music.

This was the only film I got to see at the West Palm Beach International Film festival and I must say it was pretty good. A little weird yet good. It was insanely funny, and insanely written. The main character, David, did freak me out though. But I`m sure that`s what they were looking for in his character. Sometimes it seemed like his voice didn't fit him and it added to the effect of his oddness. Although, whenever his over voice was on, I had no clue what or why he was talking about the other characters. It sincerely made no sense to me. The ending also made no sense to me, and I feel it ended shortly. They should have developed the ending more. For an independent film, it was very good. It had lots of one liners that I`ll always remember, which in it self is good because it causes me to remember the film and others to do the same. I recommend it.