Hayseed

Hayseed is a fun and compelling mystery seasoned with humor. You won't waste your time with this one and you won't guess who-done-it. The lead actors are top notch and so is the supporting cast, great acting from top to bottom. Filmed in Michigan, it has an authentic midwestern feeling of presence. You will never guess that this film was made during the height of the Covid epidemic. That the film survived is a real tribute to writer director Burgess. We knew nothing about the movie, when seeing it at the Black Bear Film Festival and were quite taken with it. It has a dumb title which no way represents the film. Ignore the title. Sit back with popcorn, a beverage of choice, and enjoy.

It was more than i had expected- more twists and turns per character that all came together. Every two minutes you think you've figured it out and you DIDN'T. The ensemble really worked together- their quirks and mannerisms together made it more kitchy and clever, nobody felt out of place. The editing made it really sing. The imperfections of natural lighting made it more lifelike, and that's refreshing to see. It made it seem more natural because you're seeing people outside, watching them as they speak as if you were right in front of them. That added to the small town impact of it all because it pulls the viewer in more than being annoying or fake looking. You felt like you lived there.

Going into this movie I had very little knowledge of the premise and characters, or even really the genre. Man was I impressed. It not only has a solid mystery plot with some great red herrings and plot twists but the performances were top notch also. Everyone played their parts perfectly. The dark humor felt very organic and not forced and the dramatic scenes were very well done. We have been friends with Nolan North for a couple years and it's great seeing him play a different type of character than we're used to. Bill Sage commands every scene he's in even when he's somewhat defeated in parts. And Ismenia Mendes absolutely rocked in the "lead" role! The rest of the cast of characters were always entertaining and fun to guess their involvement in the bigger picture. The music and editing can't be overlooked either as both were done extremely well. A must see if it's playing in your area or you can stream it!!! 10/10.

Either the writing was superb or the actors were great, or both. Whichever it was, I loved the movie. I like how each character was revealed ever so slightly all the way till the end. Additionally, I enjoyed all the small side stories of each characters life outside of the church. It definitely brought it all together. Nothing felt dragged out, and I couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.

I'm recommending it to my friends and family to see and probably go with them one more time to see it. Hayseed is a nice local town mystery that is well written and the characters are perfectly portrayed very well. They felt like someone we could know.

There is something incredibly special about Hayseed. I love murder mysteries. This film kept me engaged, reeling me in with it's plot twists and turns. It's humourous yet realistically deals with the tragedy of losing a staple in the community while trying to uncover the truth of what happened.

The writing was phenomenal and the cast was spectacular. The cast did a great job capturing the different types of personalities you'd expect to find in a small Michigan Midwestern town.

Travis, (the writer & director), nailed the story and genre while delivering something unique and original in the creation of this film. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys whodunnit murder mysteries. What I also loved about this film was that despite the subject matter it's family friendly.