Heaven's Neighbors

This movie is by far the best thing indieflix.com has to offer. That's not to say that there isn't anything else worth while from indieflix, in fact Figure in the Forest (made by the same production company) is quite good. But Heaven's Neighbors outshines them all. The acting is quite good, the story is intelligent and thought provoking with out being too maudlin, and the camera work is novel without being too obtrusive. And while this might not be a glowing recommendation for a typical Hollywood production, at this level of film making these are remarkable achievements. I give the producers a big hand for knowing the limitations forced on low budget indie film makers. Too often independent film producers try for the big bang, when in reality they can't afford much more than a wet firecracker. This doesn't mean they can't find a good script they can work with at this level. Heaven's is a near perfect example of intelligent producers, who understand and work within their financial limitations, creating a small story that has both an emotional depth and a trenchant storyline.

This is quite a good film. While I am not as overwhelmed by it as are a lot of viewers, I was extremely surprised at the storytelling ability of the director. I heard about the film from this site and a couple of others who talked about indieflix offerings, both good and bad. Having watched many shorts and longer length movies that the site has to offer I had always come away with the feeling that these film makers do not know how to string together multiple scenes in an orderly and coherent way as to tell a story as unambiguously as possible. That's what surprised me most about Heaven's Neighbors. It told a story, from beginning to end, without interruption or the need to back track to see if I missed something. The budget was obviously quite low. The time spent on it could not have been more than a few weeks. And yet with such constraints, the acting, locations, and overall ambiance come through loud and clear. It is refreshing to see new film makers who have a distinctive voice, and the ability to transfer that voice into a sharp little story that is truly enjoyable

I discovered this wonderful film a few weeks ago at indieflix.com. Being a film major I keep on the lookout for movies that are slightly out of the mainstream. Usually this means sitting through atrocious horror films that lack style, substance, or for that matter, a plot. It was extremely refreshing to finally unearth an indie that does quite well in all three of these areas. I decide to write a paper for class on the Human condition as expressed in Heaven's Neighbors. My professor was so intrigued with my paper (I got at 3.8!) that he wanted me to show the film to the whole class. He thought it might incite a good discussion. He was right! Overall, the response was extremely favorable. It was interesting to note that females overwhelmingly loved this movie. The male students where split between those who thought it was good, but not great, and one or two who didn't like it at all. This sparked a quite a debate! Especially when it was noted that those who didn't like it were all "jocks" whose taste in films runs more toward action films like Terminator and Armageddon. And those that loved the film said that it was precisely because it wasn't "action laden with over the top special effects, that they enjoyed it so much. They noted the emphasis on story and the insights on life were the best part about Heaven's Neighbors. Judging by the comments here I see that many others feel the same way. Those of us who love the film are going to expand out research. I, for one, have found deeper levels after repeated viewings. Maybe it's fodder for a term paper? If I could only figure out what Dr. Boreas is all about? What's the real motivation for suicide? What does his name mean?

It took a while. I had to watch this movie several times before I began to notice just what held me captivated. The story is heartwarming and beautifully acted, but there was something more, something deeper, that seemed to affect my soul. What the film makers have done here is to create a world that is extremely compelling. The world inside the half way house is a bit stark and barren, but nonetheless is stunning. It makes a nice contrast to the "outside" world, which is the epitome of a perfect summer day, shot in soft focus. Several scenes stand out as some of the best cinematography I have seen in any independent film. The whole sequence in the park when the two leads, John and Jake, discuss writing and painting is so perfectly shot that you almost feel the warm breeze and the sun on you face. On top of that it is so nice to watch actors "communicating" with each other without resorting to some type of overly dramatic action that usually punctuates so many "talking" scenes. Not every scene needs a kicker ending; that's not the way life works. Kudo's to the director for keeping this film grounded in human reality. Another scene that stands out as truly magnificent is the sequence when the two leads walk at night to the doctors house. This scene makes a nice compliment to the park scene as it captures the beautifully ethereal qualities of a warm summer night. Using the dark night, which can be both inspiring and fear inducing, we dig deeper into the problems of these two young men. Their journey is both physical and metaphorical at the same time. The deeply troubled John, with the help of Jake, learns to confront the demons in the dark, and begin the process of healing. This is probably one of the most hauntingly sublime scenes you will ever see in any movie. Finally, I must mention one of the key aspects that help make this "film world" so appealing. I can tell that a great deal of thought and effort went into the musical score. Many independent films look upon the music as an afterthought. Not so with Heaven's Neighbors. You can tell that each piece was carefully crafted to embellish and help bring out the emotional heart of the scene. Put together, the whole score weaves a brilliant tapestry of the highs, lows, humor, and sadness, of everyday life. By the time the last song (the Heaven's Neighbors theme) begins to play, I'm reduced to tears. The music and vocals are as heartbreakingly beautiful as Titanic's theme. A fitting end for a remarkable movie.

Forget about low budget, forget about small independent films, forget about everything you think of when you hear such terms. Heaven's Neighbors is a creative, sensitive, emotionally deep film regardless of it's origins. I was invited by a friend to watch a new movie she had just bought on line. I was reluctant to go having set through some real turkeys in the past. But she was so effusive in her praise that I decided to take a chance. However, not before checking out it's rating and comments on IMDb.com, (or if it even was listed here) I was not surprised by the negative comments. Working in film I find that most critics of these small indie flicks are "friends" of the film makers who either have a bone to pick with them, suffer from jealousy, or just love to bring down others for their own pleasure. For the record, it is always easier to criticize. This is a strong trait in the majority of humans. Most of them seem to get some kind of emotional build up and feeling of self importance by trashing other's work. IMDb.com attracts more than it's fair share of these type of self aggrandizing sharks. So I naturally take take their comments with a big grain of salt. What did surprise me was the positive comments concerning Heaven's Neighbors. One doesn't usually hear such glowing praise for a small movie like this. "The movie creates it's own beautiful world." "A thoughtful story well written and directed." I was intrigued. So Friday night I sat down at my girlfriends house unsure of what I was about to see. It was everything I could have hoped for. Don't get me wrong it's not perfect. But the movie succeeds on so many levels that it' on my top ten for the foreseeable future. I did feel like they created a world, similar, but not exactly our own. And yes, I wanted to go there. The acting was good without being too over the top. The actors made me feel for, and in consequence, care for them and their plight. I tell you right now this film needs better distribution than indieflix.com. I can understand (being in the business)why this has not happened. It's not a horror film, which means most indie distributors won't touch it. That is there bread and butter, it's what feeds the machine. Heaven's defies pigeon holing it into a specific genre. So I propose a whole new category: the good indie film.