Pester

Pester is one of those films you don't easily forget. Just about every shot is well crafted and visually memorable. I especially appreciate the cinematography--Eric Gerber has an eye for colors and grit. Everything here works well, though. The acting is effectively understated. The dialogue is sparse, but it propels the characters and their conflicts toward an unexpected and unforgettable conclusion. The subject matter is dark and unusual too, but, underneath, the film has quite a bit of heart in the way it handles family relationships.

A beautiful film. Deeply moving and unexpected. The artful cinematography captures impressive and honest performances from Nick Sommer and Matthew Dunlop and the story explores profound and challenging themes. Thought provoking and complex, this heartfelt film portrays the Pester's, a family of exterminators, and themes of addiction, decay, and death with surprising empathy, clarity, and humor. "Pester" renders a rich emotional landscape that sweeps from the smallest creatures scurrying in the dirt to the expansive desert sky. Though this is a premise that could easily lend itself to a dark and unsettling character study the layered performances, impeccable timing, and studied observations give this story a sense of discovery. "Pester" constructs a world both unfamiliar and resonant, haunting and staggeringly beautiful. This is a work that stick with you and demands to be watched multiple times. Highly recommended.

Pester is an exciting debut feature film by writer/director/dp Eric Gerber. I am particularly impressed with the depth of the writing. It is a film that explores dark and personal subject matter but also includes a unique quirkiness that gives it a good amount of humor. The story is very original and there are times when it is about go over the edge of creepiness, but it never does. This creates a tension that is reinforced by the interpersonal relationships of the characters. There are moments where it appears that something very twisted is happening and then there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for it, or at least the strange logic of the characters makes the viewer go along with it. It is writing like that that I find compelling in this film. The acting is great, and from reading interviews with Gerber it sounds like there was a healthy division of written lines and actor improvisation, which in this case makes the characters feel more real. The ending is a cleverly executed metaphor, which I won't give away. Beautifully shot and edited, all the elements of this film combined to create a very professional independent film from an exciting new director and a great crew. Looking forward to the next Gerber film.

Pester was one of the best independent films I have seen in a long time. Watching this family's dynamic drastically change throughout the film was delightfully thought provoking. Nick Sommer said as much with his characters gentle nuances, as he did with his dialog.

While in the beginning of the film it seems to be an open and shut case, the films situations morph into meaningful questions about what traps each and every one of us in our everyday lives.  Who is more normal, more dysfunctional, more sad and more abusive, are all themes that run throughout this movie.  

It asks the viewer to think about who the hero is, who the villain is, how many victims, as well as how many different roles humans play throughout their lifetimes.  Finally putting an emphasis on freedom and the challenges that present themselves to achieve even a small amount of true happiness.

Pester is a must see movie. Well done!

"Pester", written & directed by Eric Gerber, is a film that really snuck up on me. When I first heard about it at the Milwaukee Film Festival I went home and found the trailer and became instantly drawn into the unique visual style and a really somber, mellow performance from lead Nick Sommer (Blood Junkie, Billy Club & Don't Go to the Reunion) which I had not seen from this often comedy actor.

It's hard to be subjective toward the film as I know a few of the members involved, but I had never met Eric Gerber before seeing the film. What I found so endearing about his work as the director and cinematographer was how he was able to get naturalistic, real performances from everyone involved and how he shot this seemingly low budget film in such a way that feels like it had a lot more support behind it.

Tonally I'd compare the film to Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler" in the way it shows you the dark sides behind every human being and the less colorful areas of Los Angeles.

Without giving too much away, "Pester" tells the story of Paul Pester (Nick Sommer) and his drug addicted brother Ethan (Mathew Dunlap) and how Paul uses the family pest removal business as a way to not only help his brother stay clean, but help bring them closer together. Sometimes funny, often thought provoking, "Pester" is a film that should be getting far more attention that it has been.

If given the chance, seek out this film.