Light from Light

This film is a perfect, searching and soulful little piece of film making. All four people brought to life here are living in hope for something outside of themselves and beyond the mundane but necessary realities of work, study and getting by. They seek life. They seek light. They seek love. And death is the undercurrent and background and vehicle through which this search takes on a more urgent and pressing need for meaning. And of course, there are various histories, some spoken and others not, relating to grief and loss and a need for forgiveness and closure. The father who 'drank himself to death'. The deceased wife who 'had something going on with another man'. The single mother who despite doing her best, cannot protect her son from the risks life and love inevitably bring, without hurting him herself.

The title of the film, Light from Light. is borrowed from the Nicene Creed and the context in which it is used here, is, to quote a modern shibboleth, spiritual. not religious.

It's beautifully filmed with a mellow soundtrack and lends itself to reflection over entertainment, much to the chagrin of at least one other reviewer here so far, I see (with much amusement).

Enjoy!

Imagine a meditative film about "ghost hunting", coming from a place of introspection and honesty- this is "Light from Light". There's nary a false note or sensationalized anything here. Really gentle and moving and filled with human performances- Marin Ireland and Jim Gaffigan are fantastic as lived-in characters given dialogue that feels real, like conversations you might have in their situation. Both naturalistic and transcendental is hard to pull off; it's easy to be over-the-top. Much harder to convey something that's both magical and earthy, or the creation of a film that feels like the closest approximation to life possible. That's what "Light from Light" is, and it's rare and lovely.

So, if you're a fan of thoughtful, soulful indie films, then you've come to the right place. Reminiscent of the film "Columbus" by Kogonanda. If you know of that film or have seen it, then this feels like a kindred spirit. Highly recommended.

Shelia (Marin Ireland) thinks that she has supernatural clairvoyant powers. She's a single mom. Her son Owen's classmate Lucy has a crush him. Shelia gets a request from Richard (Jim Gaffigan) who thinks his farmhouse is haunted by his late wife.

It's a slow, quiet paranormal movie and at some point, I stop trying to care. It has a good moodiness and Ireland is a great lesser-known actress. This only has one great scene with Owen & Lucy and that scene could have been filmed better. It is deliberately low-key that it refuses to heighten the intensity with its most intense scene.

You'll know the moment.

A surprising and powerful moment in an otherwise still, and subtle film.

Beautifully filmed. Delicately written, directed, and performed with, I feel compelled to say, respect. Not burdened by a need for conclusions.

I guess this film is just not meant for me. While the filming is great and I thought the actors were decent, there just wasn't enough going on here to hold my attention. It is painfully slow and nothing really happens.

There's no suspense. No excitement and I don't really get the point. It was just boring.