Leanne Is Gone

a touching story. well acted. about a delicate subject. levels and beautiful photography and wise use of gestures. and frustrations, shadows of past, tension. all as steps for a scene who deserves remain memorable. a simple and smart film about pain and about hope. about sufferance , its root and the new beginning. sure, not surprising its virtues. Jesse James Rice has a beautiful career and David Hemphill is the right partner. in same measure, Bryan Scott Cooper knows the force of rhythm of story and explores with fine precision the nuances of crisis. so, a splendid film.

Typically when writer-directors create scripts for a vehicle to star themselves, the product is often full of self-indulgence. "Leanne is Gone" is actually a pleasant exception to this rule, and is in fact a compelling script and character study done in a concise short film format. Although you can tell the lead isn't necessarily a polished actor with a wide range, this role very much fit, and he came off as absolutely believable. There is just enough character build-up in the beginning for us to become vested and want to see the outcome of his "first day", which then leads us down some interesting turns and pulls us all the way in. The part of the "boyfriend" was also very well acted, although I think there could have been a lot more said as well, in that we don't know if the relationship between he and Leanne was platonic, sexual(although that is assumed), if she was his "muse" (he looks like an artist) or what. The reality is, this could very well be the first episode of a web series if the production wanted to go that way. The biggest issue I had was the music; it seemed highly inappropriate for the beginning of the film, as it gave it a very bouncy, up-beat feel, when the subject matter didn't seem to coincide. The same piece is repeated at the end...where it actually fits. All in all, this is a very well acted, scripted and edited piece which is definitely worth a watch.