100 Days to Live

Saw this recommended on Prime. It's a very thoughtful and original movie wrapped in a (fairly derivative) genre package. Look past the serial killer stuff for the first 30 minutes - this movie is something very different! Don't want to give anything away but read the reviews if you're curious. Won't disappoint!

The subject matter of this film is not something I normally watch but this film is the exception. I was happy that flashbacks were used were it was deemed necessary to explain background of characters. It left me without having to ask questions nor was their gaping holes in the story.

It is about control over people's lives and this particular type of story was very good. The plot twist for the ending was completely a surprise. The acting was very good throughout this movie. I'm so glad I viewed it.

100 Days To Live has its flaws but overal it's a movie that's worth a watch. The whole thing looks like a tv-movie, it could have been an episode of Law And Order, or another similar series, but then a good episode. The story itself isn't bad, not something that we really saw before so that's a bonus. The acting is okay from most of the cast but there are a couple actors that could try another job, even though it wasn't all that bad. The cinematography could have been better also. In short, it's mostly the plot that is interesting, the rest could have used some improvement.

100 Days to Live was about as surprising a film as you can get. When I purchased this film I honestly knew nothing about it. Never heard of it, saw a trailer, or anything of the like. But after unwrapping this mid-budget Indie film I couldn't have been more surprised. It was similar to opening up your Christmas gifts when you were a kid. You'd stumble upon that one gift and open it up only to realize it's not what you expected but you enjoyed the heck out of playing with it anyhow. For a film with a really small budget the impact it had on me was anything but small due to it's excellently told story full of twists and turns and it's surprisingly great acting.

The film moves at an incredibly snappy pace and has some really good dialogue throughout to keep the story fresh. As you would expect the film dives into a lot of serious subjects like suicide and depression and for the most part it comes out with promising results. While I have read some reviews that have claimed the film is boring or slow I honestly did not feel that way at all. There were two specific twists that were really, really well done. Right when I thought I knew where the story was going it veered off into left field and I couldn't have enjoyed that twist more. Aside from some clumsy mishaps from the police and detectives and questionable decisions they made everything else feels really believable as well. Nothing regarding the core of this story comes across as far-fetched or unbelievable. As the film begins to unravel and you begin to learn more about Rebecca, Gabriel, and "The Savior" big revelations take place that I certainly enjoyed. This is an ambitious and creative script and one that first time writer-director Ravin Gandhi pulls off pretty dang well.

The acting is also really, really well done. Heidi Johanningmeier nails every facet of Rebecca incredibly well and it surprises me that when I looked up her filmography it was quite bare. She delivers a great well rounded performance as Rebecca and I loved watching her do it. Colin Eggelsfield's Gabriel is also really good delivering some very emotional scenes that really help carry the character of Gabriel. Gideon Emery's "The Savior" is an emotional but insane serial killer that has specific reasons for why he targets who he does and why he's doing what he's doing. Gideon gives the role both menace and empathy and it makes this particular serial killer stand out from other one dimensional serial killers.

The directing is also really good jumping from flashbacks to different characters to different victims. You never know quite where the film is going to go and Ravin Gandhi handles it all exceptionally well. Even though you can tell he had a very small budget to work with he truly makes the most out of every last cent he used. This is a small budget indie film wrapped in a big budget thriller. I really enjoy when writers also direct their own film because it allows that film to really be fully expressive of their initial vision. Nothing seems taken for granted and everything seems earnest and earned to what their original vision must have been. I certainly look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.

100 Days to Live surprised me at every single twist and turn. I was enthralled with this film from beginning to end. While it's certainly not heavy on action or gore it's certainly heavy on very interesting well told story threads and really well written characters. Don't just listen to the negative reviews on this one because I truly believe they don't paint a fair picture here. This is a hidden indie gem that deserves more than 100 Days (to Live) in the spotlight.

I really wasn't sure where this was going for the first half. Then when the twist hit, I thought wow what a great plot! However, the ending for me was just not right. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just leave it at that.