Leaving Barstow

Leaving Barstow was an awesome film. The acting and story was great. The film is well-paced, never drags, and has its characters pegged pretty well. The cast is real and are believable. The film seems very real because 18 is a very difficult age. The main character in the film is faced with the hard choice of staying at home and carrying for his mother or leaving for college. This movie is filled with humor and drama. After what seems like forever, Leaving Barstow is now available to rent and to buy. Netflix, Hollywood Video, and some Blockbusters are carrying the film. I look forward to seeing more movies from Kevin Sheridan.

I enjoyed this film on many levels. The story really resonates--a decent but unexceptional young man--one who might be described around town as a "good kid"--struggles to come to terms with his small town existence, his loneliness, and his fractured family. There's a lot of humanity in this film, and the characters' stories really resonate. The setting is gritty and realistic, the characters genuine and down to earth, and the tensions between them very authentic. While the ending is predictable,it's a good ending, one which is satisfying without being pat. The actors are well cast and the acting is well done. This is a fine film, highly recommended.

As one who grew-up in Barstow from 1971 to 1978, I can totally relate to the movie, it's characters, and plot. I, too, felt trapped in that one horse town, so 2 days after I turned 17, I joined the Navy just to get out of there. Now in days, I live in California City to be near my Mom who somehow still lives there. Every time I see her (about 2 times a month at the minimum) I am amazed how Absolutely NOTHING has changed in that rat town. Same schools, same teachers, same buildings on Main Street, no new houses have been built, etc. Very depressing. However, the most depressing thing was letting my young Canadian wife talk me into attending our Class of 1978 25 year reunion. No surprise here- only about 10 of us made it out of Barstow and are pretty successful for doing so. The remaining 300 plus that stayed, most are in dead in jobs, on welfare, have been married more than 3 times to classmates, and most at the Reunion were either on me th or drunk. Yup, nothing changes in Barstow, and that feeling is well conveyed in this excellent movie! GREAT JOB TO ALL THAT WERE PART OF IT!

I came across this movie online so I gave it a shot. And I'm glad I did. I saw it and I was astounded! I couldn't tear myself away from the screen. I was greatly intrigued by the main character. The simpleness of how they present the scene was very enticing for me.

What a brilliant, brilliant film. I love the tone of it. The flow of the story. The characters. And the cinematography! Brilliant people behind the the movie.

The plot is very simple yet profound. It's very relatable. Once or twice in our lives, we were Andrew.

No wonder it came out as a winner on film festivals. Loved the whole movie!

I really liked this film. It resonates something special and captures the bittersweet side of the soul as we come of age. The music is fitting and touching. I've been through places like Barstow many times and I can relate to the location. Towns like this reek of quiet despair and hollow resignation. A gray, dishwater existence in the midst of flying diesel fumes and choking dust. Most folks passing through fill up with regular, grab a fast food combo and disappear into the desolate sunset, glad to be leaving. This is a town stuck in endless dusk with little hope for daybreak and the director knew precisely how to capture these sentiments. One viewing on IFC and I had to own a copy. Well worth revisiting those shades of misty gray. Hollywood films gives us escapism. Indy films show us what we are escaping from. This is a movie made on a shoestring budget that has true meaning. It's void of Hollywood trappings. Real life told with a heart. A film for your quiet moments.