The Alley Cat

The best part of Alley Cat is the actual Alley Cat Race and immediate aftermath that takes place for about the first half of the film. At about 30 minutes, that alone could have made this an excellent, fun, and exciting short film. The cinematography of the race and bike riding scenes are excellent. The DP has a great eye for visuals and language of film.

However, the remainder of the film is poorly constructed and loses all the momentum post-race. There is little dialog in the film, and what dialog is present is rather terrible. You never really learn much about the main character, Jasper. It is heavily implied that the niece she keeps talking about is her daughter, but that is never actually revealed. In fact, the final line of the film completely ignores all prior setup for that reveal. You don't learn anything about the other characters in the bike race itself.

As I said, this could have been a great short film. If she wanted to create a longer film, then she should have added about 20 - 30 minutes more material. Introduce us to characters before the race begins. Let us learn more about Jasper, her motivations, and why this race is important (maybe she needs the money). And tighten up the relationship between Jasper, her niece, her sister, and why her brother-in-law is so hostile to her.

The saddest part is there was real potential here to be a great indy film about alley cat bike racing.