Lonely Place

There are so many things to admire about Kevin Ackerman's short feature Lonely Place that it's hard to know what to praise first. The meticulous beauty of its physical detail and visual realization are two obvious virtues. Indeed, as John Ottman's oceanic music swells beneath that rainfall of ripe peaches at the fade-in, one might describe Ackerman's filmic style as symphonically meticulous. The place is a farm north of Fresno, California, in 1949. Tess Harper is the mistress of the spread, an intense, frustrated housewife who attends to her duties with the unseeing steadiness of a sleepwalker. Kurtwood Smith is her cranky, neglectful husband -- a man who seems to have whittled his 'round-the-clock facial expression from the same wood he's used to make those tobacco pipes he's always either clenching in his teeth or emptying, with annoying precision, in spots his wife has just cleaned. Tomas Arana is the raggedy drifter who appears at this couple's peach tree like a Biblical figment. He seems more skeletal than flesh, and more silhouette than man. He oozes menace -- a quality that, to the wife's near-hysterical bewilderment, goes unnoticed by her husband as he hires this man to help with their peach harvest. What ensues is a demonic retelling of the Garden of Eden story, in which Eve finds herself alone with two serpents.

Because I count Kevin Ackerman as a close friend, I'm in a position to know the years of hard work he spent getting this film right -- and like many friends, I often worried that he was chasing a holy grail of perfection that would stay forever out of his reach. I needn't have worried. Whatever imperfections may be present in Lonely Place, excellence is achieved throughout -- even technical mastery, of a precocious kind. Ackerman's exquisite dissolves, which marry the roundness of peaches to that of full moons and the whorls of circular darkness which gape in the mouth of a man's pipe, are not simply there to show off his style, much as one might marvel -- they also underscore the interior transitions, the psychic puzzle-pieces gradually coming together in the mind of a woman being threatened by a violence that is welling as much from within herself as from the two wretched men in her life.

Lonely Place is a strikingly well-wrought first film, a feature in miniature. Ackerman succeeds precisely because he has been so steadfast in seeing its music, rhythms and visual bravura through to their optimal states of power, and narrative effect.

This movie really took my by surprise. I attended a screening of shorts from the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival at my college, most of the films there were... big budget Jerry Bruckheimer bullshit that were from BMW films.com. I have to admit they were kinetic though, so with the adrenaline pumping, LONELY PLACE, was a little bit boring at first. I admired its beauty, but could not enjoy the pace after those goddam car chases. Finally I settled down and was absorbed by what I was watching.

The directing was very delicious, the set, the actors, they all made me feel like I was in the 1940's. The amazing thing this movie did is allow you to see each character's emotions, personalities, and backstories without any flashbacks or narration. Through the imagery and the simple words and gestures, the entire story was played out for you. The end is a HUGE payoff. You have no idea that it is going to happen. It was insanity.

Technically, the movie had good camera work but the lighting was a little bit so and so. But I can dismiss it thanks to Kevin, whom explained his movie to us in a Q & A after the screening. It took six years to make this movie, completely worth it. Man o man, I need to learn how to structure my thoughts.

Great movie. Watch it for the noir aspect, quirky actors, suspense, and the excellent ending. High five to Kevin Ackermann.

x Mike Ordoñez

I got the chance to see this film at a Film Noir festival held at the American Cinemateque in Hollywood, and I was very pleased.

This picture harkens back to a different era. One when suspense and drama were handled deftly by masters like Alfred Hitchcock.

A modern film set in the late 1940's, Tess Harper plays the farmer's wife caught in a rural dilemma. Her performance as the mouse caught in a box with two cats is amazing. (Where has she been lately?) Kurtwood Smith is the old tired farmer, and Tomas Arana is the mysterious stranger who just stopped by for a visit.

The tension here gets thick, and you don't know who to root for...until the end.

This film will probably go the festival route, so if you see it on your program, and you like well paced suspensfull noir's, give it a look and you won't be disappointed. (8/10)

MitchellMan

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.

Director Kevin Ackerman seems to be channeling David Lean as he directs this delicious, atmospheric "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"-style short. Gorgeous visuals, lush romantic music, great atmosphere and constantly building tension in this outstanding thriller that packs a real emotional punch. Kudos to the stellar cast: Kurtwood Smith, Tess Harper and Tomas Arana.

Great tech credits: beautiful cinematography, excellent editing and sound work. John Ottman's score is a must-listen. Kevin Ackerman has delivered a film that stands both as a clever homage to the classic film noir, and also stands out as an excellent short film.