South of Hope Street

Jane Spencer has done the near-impossible - created a brilliant, dystopian film that is incredibly original yet shows its influences on Godard, Kubrick, Bergman and Tarkovsky.

Lead actor, Tanna Frederick (Denise), is all tics, insanity and a contradictory combo of morose and giddy, but she's the perfect guide throughout the film. And it's great fun to see how she uses the underappreciated Judd Nelson, who is unrecognizable from his Brat Pack days, William Baldwin, who shines as he did in "The Usual Suspects," and Spencer regular, Michael Madsen who shows part of his actual, real-life persona of poet, combined with his cinema persona of madman.

Ms. Spencer gets a real budget, spent wisely on interesting special effects and a fantastic soundtrack which includes Donovan, Yello, Bob Dylan and Thunderclap Newman. They show up in unexpected but perfectly synced places and help the narrative flow.

"South of Hope Street" will no doubt delight European audiences who are much, more patient and attuned to films that are challenging and don't hit you over the head with their moral message or lack of one. It has all the earmarks, of what could be the next, big midnight fare, reaching an appreciative American audience as a potential, cult favorite. It should put her on the shortlist of Indie Film Darling Most Likely to Break Out to a much wider audience.

I just had the chance to watch South of Hope Street, and wow - what an experience. A friend who caught the UK premiere in London last month told me it was unmissable, and they weren't wrong. This film is a trippy, thought-provoking allegory that feels like a snapshot of our fractured world, wrapped in stunning visuals and powered by incredible performances. It's not just a movie; it's a wake-up call, a piece of alternative art that challenges the way we see the times we're living in.

The lead plays a strangeoid writer, laying low and avoiding a draft into an Orwellian war between the West and Asia. The storyline is both surreal and disturbingly grounded, delivering a sci-fi narrative with such a raw, realistic edge that it feels like it could happen tomorrow... or maybe it already is. It's rare to find a film that blends such a futuristic premise with such an authentic, human feel. Highly recommend this one if you're into bold, unapologetic storytelling that leaves you thinking long after the credits roll.

It's refreshing to finally watch a sci fi film that harkens back to films such as Jean Luc Godard's Alphaville or Terry Gilliam's Brazil with an updated spin on it. Director Jane Spencer (Little Noises) has created a cryptic cinema of ethereal mystery where characters attempt to unlock the meaning of their own existential dilemmas. It avoids pretentious monologues but instead focuses on the inter relationships between multiple characters attempting to make the most of the catastrophes looming around them, where the only solution appears to be in fostering a new form of collective resistance of non violence. In many ways this film parallels the ideas of Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. Nobody will believe the main character who consistently brings up to a passive and conformist public that there are 2 moons in the sky. How does this affect their psyches - what are they going to do about it - and why is the government so keen to cover it up? This phenomenon drives home a deeper metaphor about the meaning of how humanity neglects what is most important until it's too late. This is not a movie that follows a plot line with predictable choices made by its characters but instead allows the audience to reflect on the big ideas presented. The cast is exceptional and is fully invested in this bleak world where poetry is dying to be reborn.

Don't let the 10/10 reviews fool you. Those reviews are BS and written to boost the overall rating. This is at most a 3/10 movie.

Although the cast seems impressive for an indie movie, with a few former A-list actors, everything else about this movie is barely a college level movie project. The rest of the cast fails to deliver any kind of credible performance.

While the top actors are good, they can't counterbalance and help the very amateurish direction and production.

The scenario isn't bad but it's delivery is boring and tedious to watch. It's difficult to keep focused for the duration of the movie.

Do yourself a favor and skip this one.

I grade message movies by their message and how they deliver it. Some message movies are huge blockbusters - like Don't Look Up. Other message movies are just really good message movies - like. Leave the World Behind (both are Netflix movies) which is a really good realistic end of America as we know it kind of movie. As far as message movies go, this one I'm reviewing is good. It isn't a blockbuster. It isn't a really good one. It's good. It is a message, meant to feel Detached From Reality, it is presented as if detached from the audience, and we remain detached from the movie and from the story. It isn't about the story. It isn't about A Movie. It is about the message,m and they don't waste time - nearly everything in every scene is a message. Look, listen, watch. It's not meant to be an exciting story. THAT Is how they got some of the bigger names on the project. It's about the MESSAGE. Stop ignoring everything and stop thnking it's only worth paying attention to if it wins awards.