Our Friend Jon

I'm an actor and I've been in an Edward Payson film. Not this one. A horror film. That's what Edward Payson is known for: making horror films.

Which makes "Our Friend Jon" all the more striking.

A blessing to the parched soul (and I say that with no hyperbole,) "Our Friend Jon" cannot help but be spiritual refreshment to anyone who sees it and really settles in with the story; with Garrett, with Brandon, with Nick, with the moms, with the friends.

With Jon.

The film is moving in some weird, quiet way. I struggled for a word to describe the sensation, and finding none, created one: humanness. There's no attempt here to manipulate emotion or to make anyone a hero or (despite circumstances) a victim. There's just friendship. Friendship as it actually exists in the private lives we all actually live. It's like being in someone else's home and finding that it is somehow your home, too.

Watch Our Friend Jon. It validates the quiet nobility of our messy, ordinary lives. It makes you long for what is lost, and remember that there is always a future. You'll want to hug somebody. And not a red-carpet hug either. The real kind.

This doc will last.

This documentary doesn't have to try and give you feels, it just does it. Our Friend Jon makes you take a step back and question your own personal issues and makes you ask yourself, "is my issue really THAT big?" From start to finish it will have you appreciating life on another level!

This film was so amazing and touching. I love to see such strength and kindness in people. I was lucky enough to be part of a small Art/Film/Music Festival as a musician and I felt like seeing that before we played really touched us. I can honestly say I will be watching this movie more than a few more times!!

Highly recommended--a moving tribute to friendship and the power of filmmaking and storytelling. When Jon dies at a young age, his friends vow to produce the slasher film screenplay he'd been developing. This documentary follows their journey as first-time filmmakers, and creates a real sense of anticipation to see the finished "film within a film." Subjects pushing themselves out of their comfort zone, in memory of a dear friend. A story that could easily dip into pathos and sentimentality, but instead holds a steady camera on the subjects and lets them speak powerfully for themselves. Memorable.

Our Friend Jon was truly inspiring. Watching the first 10 minutes of the film, I was not only drawn in, but trying to keep my composure. Being a fellow filmmaker, it was amazing to see the stories we have potential to bring to life. Especially seeing someone from Waltham doing it at this level. There are laughs and cries throughout the whole video. Nothing is impossible when you are dedicated and do it with heart. An amazing tribute and experience top to bottom. A really well-done underdog story.

-Zach (HBZ Media)