Last Kind Words

First-time filmmaker Kevin Barker has managed to create an atmospheric ghost story with Last Kind Words (2012). The title, taken from an old folk song, where the "Kind" refers to something taken "in kind". It's not a bad little movie, just confusing as to the plot. You can tell Barker had all the right influences in his direction and loved the place where he was filming. However, the plot has trouble hanging together and key points are whisked out of thin air. Still, a good little film. Right now it's streaming on Netflix. There's even a dedicated Facebook page for it. The movie begins with Eli (Spencer Daniels) moving to rural Kentucky with his parents. You never know why they've decided to leave "the city" and return to the farm life, other than there's some mention of Eli's dad Bud having lost his job at a factory. They move into a mobile home on the land of Waylon (Brad Dourf), who lives in a picture-perfect big house. Eli instantly meets the mysterious red-haired Amanda (Alexia Fast) the moment he tries to take an apple from a tree. Bud, who proves to be an abusive father, scolds him for grabbing the apple, but Eli doesn't tell his father about Amanda. When Eli asks Waylon about Amanda, the older man warns him to stay away from her, claiming she's dangerous.

Much of the film consists of Eli wandering around the farm. You rarely see anything else, save the occasion trip to the store. While the land is beautifully photographed, the actor playing Eli just doesn't generate enough presence to make these scenes memorable. The actress playing Amanda, however, lights up the screen every time she steps into the frame. She has the right amount of ethereal personality to create a supernatural effect.

The other actors are all capable veterans. Brad Dourf, a character actor who sold the character of Piter De Vries in Dune, is amazing as Waylon. The man simply cannot give a bad performance. His name is in front and is the reason I watched Last Kind Words in the first place. I'd like to see more of Sarah Steele in the future; her brief appearances as Eli's city girl friend are memorable.

There's plenty of scares. All of which involve bodies hanging from a tree. The opening sequence involving a hunting tragedy is creepy and mysterious. You have to wait to the end of the movie to have it resolved. It's not the most satisfying of explanations, but works within the context of the film.

This is a well made but odd little movie. I would categorise it more as a drama with supernatural themes, than a horror movie; it is essentially a ghost story. It is not groundbreaking, or even overly original, but it is executed very well. The acting is top class throughout and the characters keep you engaged. There are some parts of it which didn't make sense, but hard to discuss here without giving any spoilers, but just to hint at things, The old Girlfriend, and the uninvestigated murder. If I'm honest, it is not at all what I was expecting. The horror/supernatural elements were minimal, but when they appeared, were dealt with quite matter-of-factly.

Eli (Spencer Daniels) and his father move to the farm of childhood friend Waylon (Brad Dourif). Eli is seemingly all alone, at least until he meets Amanda -- who is not all that she appears to be.

The biggest complaint I have on this title is the cover art on the DVD. While the poster is beautiful, for whatever reason the cover is instead a cheap image of a woman who looks like she is being kidnapped and tortured. Yet, despite the cover, this is not a horror film or anything involving torture. It is a sort of love story.

Not that horror fans will not enjoy it -- cult favorite Brad Dourif has a sizable role, and there are a few skeletons and some blood, so they might get that sinister grin at the corners of their lips. I entered into it expecting a horror film -- and while that was not what I saw, it is still a solid film.

The photography is excellent, and the story is for the most part your standard boy meets girl tale. There are some twists, and some interesting family tension. There is drama, there is mystery... I did not care for the actress playing Amanda (her voice seemed too childish), but overall everyone had that "everyman" quality that I feel is important in crafting an empathetic story.

I cannot get into it much more without spoilers, and I refuse to spoiler this film. Despite my rather low rating, it is not a bad film and worth checking out. I just wish they had used a different cover.

This film deserves a much higher score than it has. It a well acted, beautifully shot film with great atmosphere and a slightly different storyline. It is not a run of the mill gorefest and if you like severed limbs with buckets of blood and a boringly predictable soundtrack then look elsewhere. The publicity picture that goes with this film is totally misleading but I can understand that as this film is quite hard to categorise, watch this film and see what you think. OK, from here onwards is just padding as it seems one needs ten lines of text to get a review published. Why is this I wonder? There is only a small cast but each actor performs flawlessly ( is that how flawlessly is spelt? ) and the location and sets are wonderful shot in the early fall I suspect as the foliage is taking on lovely autumnal hues. Jeez I am really beginning to struggle for words now, all I wanted to do was write a couple of lines in praise of this underrated film and I end up having to wear my fingers to stumps trying to get to the magical ten lines, ahh it seems we are have achieved the rquired number of words so goodbye and happy viewing.

I do not understand the low rating. The film is enjoyable and valuable in several respects. The photo is very beautiful and the actors recite their part in proper way, through a history that goes smoothly until the end. Perhaps it is not a masterpiece of cinema, but it deserves more than 4 stars. It 'a nice love story, with a good pinch of mystery with a remarkable soundtrack. Come on! There are many other films out there that deserve 4 stars or less, yet exceeding the sufficiency according to the reviews here. Maybe nothing new or surprising, but certainly a nice movie, worth to be enjoyed. Just do not expect a horror movie that makes you scream and squirm, or a breathtaking thriller, although it has some interesting moments for those who does not disdain a chill: relax, put on the DVD, enjoy the tale and judge for yourself.