Johnny's Gone

Had the opportunity to view this film at a festival recently, and was impressed to see this effort on such a budget...I then learned that much of it was done in guerrilla style.

Generally, films shot guerrilla are left to become incredibly loose, due to the demands that are layered on everyone involved...simply put, time slips away and many aspects of the film, whether performances or directorial choices, have to be compromised and sacrificed. While that may have been the case for the filmmakers, no hard compromises were evident. Clearly, enough footage was captured to cut in and around, without loosing the peaks, valleys and plateaus within various scenes.

Performances were solid. Nice moments throughout the film. Found the work "on the road" to be incredibly engaging.

It was refreshing to see that instead of pushing for the "Hollywood" dramatic narrative, there were moments of exoteric and esoteric film exploration...experimentation, and ultimately a story that arcs, dips, dabbles and works to a solid climax.

I saw this film at the Atlantic City Festival, where it richly deserved to win "Best Drama Feature" for its haunting exposition, deft handling of multiple/absorbing themes (three major, two minor, all nicely intertwined), superb acting, complex structure in a very accessible style, and above all by its totally engaging cinematography and vibrant rendering of all scenes in natural light. And let's not forget that this feature-length film was made for around $100K! That may be the most amazing thing about it. This is world-class cinematic professionalism at its finest! One of the things that makes this film so captivating is less what it shows or tells, but what it holds back. Within each of its several "segments" are moments that are pregnant with multiple concepts and ideas, any one of which could be explored at great length, but which mean so much more in resonance with all of the other segments in the film. It's an epic encapsulated in a sonnet, and the sonnet sings! It raises more questions than it answers, as any mature work of art should. It's a must-see!

My first impression as the story unfolded was that it had all the ingredients of a fine road-movie, with breathtaking pictures, a beautiful soundtrack, and strangely humane characters.

However this soon changed as the film's clever construction made me lose track of distance, place and time. It became evident that the story was much more than this. I slowly sank into Sarah's mind, overwhelmed with unfulfilled maternal love and unbearable grief which at first is hardly visible. Paradoxically, as she proceeded towards her geographical as well as symbolic destination, which is cleverly hidden from us until the very end, I began to feel more and more lost.

I cannot put into words what I understood or felt exactly. That is precisely the beauty of this film. It allows us to grasp something that is traditionally described as impossible to understand if you have not lived through it yourself. I feel grateful to Serafini for allowing us to peer into his deeply intelligent mind.

The loss of a child is certainly the worst thing that could ever happen to a parent. This film is a very subtle description of what a mother could do, in despair, to lower that pain. Leaving everything behind, facing her own solitude just to live, once again, even for a few days what is unrepairable. "Johnny's Gone" beautifully describes this. Every landscape is about loneliness, light and photography are as simple and naked as it gets, dialogs, if any, are nearly improvised. Music, omnipresent, yet rare, echoes in emptiness....As if every aspect of the film's construction reminded us of the reality of the story, its probability of existence, disturbingly close to us. The fact that Johnny doesn't seem to miss his parents adds a strange serenity between the two, which could only be imaginative, I guess, and reflecting Sarah's mood. Last moments of unspoilt happiness.

I loved this film immensely as it touched me in more than one way. The photography was absolutely magnificent and poetic displaying the beauty of nature so quiet, mysterious, but also dramatic and perhaps a little bit dangerous. LaDon Drummond transported me throughout her journey in this complex ride of memories, love and passion. Her emotions were real and profoundly felt. Natasha Green also brought a strong connection through her free spirit and sensitivity. Johnny Sinclair stole my heart. So young but so determined, alert, intense in his gaze, and simply adorable. The film's spirit and sensitivity made me feel almost as if I was involved with the story. It is certainly a film well worth downloading and keeping in one's collection to be viewed again and again.