Black Fly

I was quite impressed with this independent film, which was shot in my home landscape. I've met the director, and know the budget was under $1 million and was shot in 14 days. But the scope of the story was a smart match for this budget; it never felt crippled, nor low-budget. The quality was high throughout.

Black Fly is very well directed, written, acted, filmed, edited, and scored. I was deeply engaged in the narrative from the beginning to the end, worried about the characters, and not able to predict what would happen next.

The landscape was very familiar to me, and was a rich aspect of the film, whether it was the interiors of the home, the forest, or workplace scenes. It was beautifully filmed, while being honest to the landscape, and this gave a rich atmosphere to the story.

Each of the performances were strong. In particular I was engaged by the older brother's performance (Noel, played by Matthew MacCaull), who reminded me of real people I knew in my youth!

I also appreciated the theme of the story, the younger brother try to find a home which was healthy, as best as he could in a very broken situation.

There's definitely a decent story here, and pretty strong character development. It wasn't at all boring, in my opinion. The rising tension is done effectively, and we believe every decision each character makes. Also, the ending was appropriate and not overly contrived.

It did at times, however, feel like the actors were kind of *playing* at being country bumpkins with a tough start in life. That is, the acting didn't feel entirely authentic. The actress who plays Paula, for example, went way over the top with the melodrama. I was rolling my eyes at her a little by the end. I felt similar about the actor who played Noel. Just a little too much screaming and kicking when a bit more subtlety would have been much more effective.

It made me think of the movie Affliction, an indie drama from (I believe, without checking) the '90s, starring Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek. It's the same kind of themes but much better acting. Anyway, Black Fly is a decent watch even if it's a bit forgettable.

I saw this indie feature over a year ago, and I still think about it. That means it's a good thriller. Gritty and suspenseful, and you don't know what's going to happen next. The characters are well thought out, and believable. Cinematography captures the environment so well that you feel everything. Jason Bourque has a well written script, superbly directed, and the actors were brave enough to go to some tough places! You won't be disappointed.

I saw Black Fly in the Activity Centre Lounge on Denman Island on the evening of October 11, 2014.I went to it primarily because rarely do films also being shown at the Vancouver Film Festival make it to our little outpost especially during the actual festival. A portion of the film was shot on Denman and I assume showing it here was an offering of respect and appreciation for the reception shown during the filming.

Black Fly, directed by Jason Bourque, is a terrific little thriller. It is intense, depressing, (did I say intense?) and dark. Ostensibly based on a series of murders in New Brunswick 30 years ago, it stands on its own as a portrait of rural isolation and the violence which may be simmering just below the surface of all of our souls.

The scenes shot on Denman Island are beautiful as is the cinematography for the entire film. Though not for the faint of heart, I would recommend it to any moviegoer looking for a taste of anguish and angst.

One sort of groans when the phrase "Inspired by true events" or some such is emblazoned within the precis of a film. You know that there's a 75% chance of it being boring, apart from the bits that take a tad of artistic license. This film falls easily into that 75%. I mean basically you know what happens if someone hacks off a multi-gun owning slack-jawed yokel nut job, by boffing their partner or in any other way - death - and, of course, it does happen, several times in fact. To make matters worse, there are several loose ends with unanswered questions. Don't waste 90 minutes on this - starts boringly and doesn't get much better The only good thing about it is that it says a lot for tightening gun laws.