Lonely Place

As a woman who has worked on 3 short films and 2 feature endeavors, I can safely state that working for Kevin Ackerman has refreshed my memory as to why I ever wanted to make movies in the first place. Assisting him at various times during post production, in setting up his company, seeing how he struggled on a day-to-day basis, always trying to make this little half hour film better...I have never met someone as committed as he was and is.

The film, LONELY PLACE, exists as a polished first short, evocative of a time and place, faithful to the Film Noir genre Kevin so loves (and has studied extensively), purposefully un-flashy and somehow extremely mature. I watched the films Kevin told me were influences on LONELY PLACE while he finished it this last year -- The Postman Always Rings Twice, Repulsion, all the Hitchcocks etc. -- and I respect his choice to make a small film about three people inhabiting one space, a farmhouse, but with a larger thematic issue at stake: What is at the core of Marriage if, in fact, there isn't Love? And what would you do if, after giving 20 years to a man, living and working hard for him, you found out that he didn't love or even respect you? LONELY PLACE tackles the difficult premise, weaves a web, has fun with what one woman might do in a bygone era, given just such knowledge of her partner...not an easy thing to do in a half hour!

LONELY PLACE will, undoubtedly, play well in festivals and Kevin's career will fluorish in the aftermath. Of this much I am certain. I sign off for the last time, the night before my return home overseas, thankful for my time here in the United States working with such talented artists like kevin and all the rest. See LONELY PLACE!

I saw this film on a DVD screener and I was quite impressed. Being a film noir buff, Mr. Ackerman did an outstanding job in capturing the flavor of the noir look and feel. Seeing Kurtwood Smith is always a pleasure to watch and Mr. Ackerman's team of actors and actresses I found, retained the feel of the people trapped in predictaments that they have advertidly or inadvertidly created for themselves. Examples would be "Detour," "Double Indemnity" and "Laura." The well-written dialouge makes "Lonely Place" feel like your stepping back into time and yet, it could be a situation that could be an event that takes place on the front page of tomorrow's morning newspaper. An outstanding job. I look forward to his future work.

I recently caught this at a festival of short films and it far and away stood out among all the other films that screened. Lonely Place has a superb visual look to it, is consistently involving in its storytelling, and features an excellent lead performance from Tess Harper. The film doesn't need any trickery or flash, instead relying on superb craftsmanship that is quite rare for this form. Writer/director Kevin Ackerman shows a command of the medium that is both assured and evocative, using silence, mood, and furtive looks to tell his engrossing tale of a woman done wrong. With nary a false note, Lonely Place sticks with you long after the film is over. See it if you can on the big screen.

One of the hardest things to bring about in a film is tone, and here, director Ackerman has crafted a short with the feeling of a Flannery O'Connor short story, a rare achievement indeed. Produced with an uncanny attention to detail and directed with a strong sense of foreboding, "Lonely Place" features affecting performances by the three leads, the most surprising coming from Kurtwood Smith, who is at least currently known for lighter roles. A beautiful film to watch, the story incorporates a key prop in an unusual and original way that to me at least recalled Hitchcock. An all-around exceptional first film - check it out if you get a chance!

My brother and I just happened to catch Lonely Place at the Austin Film Festival, and I thought it was a well realized take on classic cinema of the past. I was looking for a different screening but happened upon Lonely Place during the opening credits. I thought the cast looked interesting, Tess Harper, Kurtwood Smith, and Thomas Arana, and the title sequence itself was exquisite. Having no knowledge of the picture, I just went along for the ride, and I was not disappointed.

Lonely Place plays out like some old 1940's potboiler, with a menacing farmhand worming his way between a husband and wife on an old dusty peach farm. By about halfway through the picture, I had figured out how it was going to end, only I was wrong, dead wrong.

This is the kind of movie they don't make any more, it's like an old film that was just dug up in some archive somewhere. My brother and I loved it.

I'm Tex Nickle and that's all I really have to say about Lonely Place.