The Other Side of the Tracks

Saw this on Showtime this week and loved it. Wasn't really expecting anything and was surprised to find a cool independent film on a major cable network. The music was great and the haunting feel of the story made me want to snuggle up with my guy. Googled it and saw the film is a bit old. Not sure why its just coming out. Definitely the kind of movie you want to watch more than once. In fact I've already watched it twice. Lots of twists that put things in a diff perspective. Chad Lindberg is amazing. I love ghost stories but don't like too much blood and gore, so this was perfect for me. Haunting and suspenseful, but not too scary (well, except for one or two good "jumps" :) Recommend it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I'm glad I didn't see the trailer before watching this film as I would have been even more let down. It is very slow and really has no plot. It is definitely short of any real substance. There is no drama, suspense or energy at all or anywhere in the movie. It started out being a film I could have really enjoyed but as it went on I kept waiting for something, anything to happen. But it didn't. And it's another one of those with a empty ending. The acting was OK but just lacked a story and led to no where. The trailer hits on the only fairly good parts and adds more drama than what the movie represents. It would be OK for a teenager but for adults, I wouldn't recommend at all.

Very gloomy movie - in a good way. A little slow (purposely?) but good plot. Probably low budget but they did well enough with what they had. Acting a little over the top sometimes by one character to the point of a bit annoying. Main character dialogue was too 'hesitant' at times but still tolerable. Very good cinematography and camera use/placement. The creepiness factor was always present. Music.. not bad but not so good either. Still worth watching. It may be one of those movies you have to be in the mood for though. For me it was one of those movies you may watch on a lazy, rainy, Sunday morning. Like the Lifetime Channel does to some people. It sucks you in and you HAVE to know the rest of the story. Only this one was much better. I really enjoyed it.

I had never heard of the movie. It was on Showtime when I was dozing on my recliner.

Excellent Acting by Brendan Fehr, Chad Lindberg, Shirley Knight and (wasn't she a genius on Malcolm???) Tania Raymonde.

It may have been written for those of us that watched our loved ones hang on while God is calling them home.

I'm not a touchy feely person but it made me think of my my mom who was a strong loving Canuck. She was proud, always had some mud potion or garlic potion that cured everything. She hung on to life because she knew we needed her love.

So this movie had nothing to do with a mother in Hospice Care. It did bring that all back to me, and strangely comforted me.

I think the writers and actors did their job.

Thanks

I am a big fan of A.D. Calvo's approach to the thriller/horror genre precisely because it is craftily understated, subtle, eerie, goose-bumpy, and truly haunting. In a genre where movies are commonly padded with obvious digital special effects, cliché chase scenes, gratuitous gore, and incessant explosions, Other Side of the Tracks sets itself apart by being truly about the story first, before the techniques. It is a carefully conceived and beautifully made psychological thriller whose ending forces one to think back through each scene to try to piece together its full meaning. It stays with the you for a while, and makes you think about your own perceptions, memories, delusions, fantasies, etc.

Gorgeously filmed in rural Connecticut, featuring a particularly powerful performance by Chad Lindberg, and with a beautiful and evocative score by composer Joe Carrano, Other Side of the Tracks is a remarkable debut film from a very talented director, and I'd like to see where he goes next.