Mr. Barrington

I saw this film while I was screening for the Newport Beach Film Festival. It was one of the best films I that I screened but did not get picked. This is one of those rare finds that flows and brings the audience into the characters. The film score plus the direction enabled the movie to seem like a horror movie when it was more of a family flick. Great direction and acting by everyone. I loved the way the film was scored to accompany the direction. The DP did a great job shooting the film and was very impressive in all angles and shots. The director did a great job and I hope he will continue to direct films, he has that very special touch you rarely find.

The main reason I wanted to see this movie was because of the incredible reviews the actors received for their performances. I was not disappointed.

I'm a big fan of Eric Schweig, both as an actor and human being.So I was very pleased with his amazingly sensitive, loving and nurturing portrayal of Samuel, Lila's husband. Jennifer Nichole Porter's portrayal of Lila is also outstanding. She conveys a fragile, child like innocence. These two actors have incredible chemistry and really seem like a loving couple. It's a joy to watch. You truly witness the most beautiful relationship ever seen on film. You can feel the love between these two characters. It seems like you're eavesdropping on a real life story. Samuel has the most gentle way with Lila. He is incredibly patient, devoted and loving towards her.

Mr Barrington played so skillfully by Brian McCardie is the other phenomenal piece to this puzzle. Mr Barrington is charming and intimidating. I will not give away any spoilers. I love the way the film was shot. The ending is promising.

I went into this film with no knowledge of the plot and only a quick glance at the movie poster. From Mr. Barrington's mode of dress I assumed it would be a period piece; perhaps a romantic comedy or Merchant and Ivory sort of film. Oh boy was I in for a surprise...

This film features one of the most beautiful relationships I have ever seen on film. The love between Lila and Samuel felt very real and very complex. Jennifer Nichole Porter wrote and delivered Lila's dialogue with wonderful restraint. Eric Schweig's handling of Samuel's emotions showed just how much he cared about the project. I would recommend the film simply for how well these two actors perform together under Dana Packard's direction, but that would ignore the film's other two great strengths: Brian McCardie's acting and Eric Goldstein's cinematography.

Brian McCardie has done some great work in the past, but he is a knockout in this role. The impish intensity he brings to his performance moves effortlessly between endearing and threatening with a simple cock of the head or a flash of his teeth.

And then there is the cinematography. Eric Goldstein creates wonderful atmospheres of light and shadow for the characters to inhabit. There is a quality to the film that makes it hard to place geographically, and I have a feeling this was intentional. The way Eric Goldstein lights the exteriors at night makes it feel like a Southern locale.

That this is Dana Packard's first feature came as a surprise to me. Both his direction and Jennifer Nichole Porter's writing seemed far more assured than that. So, I highly recommend this film!

Just saw this film at the Blue Sky Film Festival here in Las Vegas. I have to say that of all the films screened, I think I enjoyed this one the most. In mood, pacing and style, it kind of reminded me of The Others with Nicole Kidman.

It's a film that makes you think as it slowly unfolds, showing bits and pieces that let you discover for yourself the relationship between Lila and the inscrutable Mr. Barrington. I think that different people will walk away with varying interpretations of what has happened by the end of the film. Ultimately, I think that can be one of the best kinds of films - one that leaves people talking in their seats at the end.

We had the benefit of having Jennifer (Lila, and the film's writer) and her husband, Dana (the director) at our screening, so we were able to discuss our views and some of the movie's finer points & ultimately clarify some of the things we'd seen.

The movie was beautifully shot & has sort of a filmy, misty look to it that heightens the tension. Jennifer gives an amazingly frail quality to Lila that makes the scenes with Samuel even more touching. Add to that Brian McCardie as Mr. Barrington, both playful and menacing, and the film is filled with brilliantly understated performances.

Unfortunately, Dana told us that the film has not yet been picked up for wide release, but will be making the rounds of several of the smaller film festivals. I would strongly recommend that you take the opportunity to see it, if it shows anywhere in your area. It's well worth it, especially after a summer filled with sequels and "let's blow everything up" action flicks. I only hope that word-of-mouth will spread on this little gem so that more people can enjoy it.