Lonely Place

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.

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.

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