Least Among Saints

This movie hits the right note with both a compelling story and interesting characters. Writer, director and lead actor Martin Papazian's film packs an emotional punch without being maudlin or making you feel like your emotions have been manipulated.

The story is focused on the young war veteran, but doesn't stray into larger political issues. I found that refreshing in this political season. Instead, this is an intimate portrayal of human struggle, and Papazian imbues the lead character Anthony Hayward with the right level of emotion. Papazian has one of two breakout performances in the film. For me, the best films are those that show believable character development, and Papazian's portrayal is immensely satisfying.

The other performance I loved was by Tristan Lake Leabu who plays 10 year old Wade, Hayward's next door neighbor. I'm convinced Tristan is headed for a stellar career. There's a lot of emotion in his role, and a lesser actor would have over played it. You can see pain, a sense of isolation, and fear in his eyes.

The intimate feel of this film was enhanced by director of photography Guy Skinner and his hand-held camera work, known to most of us from his work on the TV series "24".

At the premier in Santa Monica, Martin Papazian said the story is a composite of experiences told to him by war vets. He listened.

Independent films often don't get noticed because of limited distribution. Moviegoers don't know if a film is worth driving to. If you get a chance, see this film.

Martin Papazian didn't do anything wrong when he put his heart into the production of LEAST AMONG SAINTS, a story regrettably true-to-life in its depiction of Anthony Hayworth, an 8-year veteran of the United States Marine Corp, struggling with his return to civilian life.

As a Writer Papazian does a wonderful job of weaving a believable story, with honest characters and situations, and just a few continuity issues (you know how I am about details) . And no, the story isn't anything new, or ground-breaking, but it is happening today and will continue into the near future. Hirsch-Papazian have produced a film every American, because there will be a military veteran in their future, a vet who often risked everything in our name, and may be needing some help adjusting to being home, in addition to our thanks.

As a Director Papazian brought out performances from his cast that are in-line with my own sense of reality. From the fresh-face of Tristan Lake Leabu, to the quirkiness of Laura San Giacomo (who i love and expect to be quirky) almost all of the performances felt organic.

Sgt. Anthony Hayworth, our returning hero struggles with his demons and Martin Papazian's performance as a man often at odds with himself, rings true, or as Anthony's ex-wife says, "He's a good guy, sometimes he just tries to hard." Martin's acting is never trying or hard, I spent a decade in the military community, and I've met men like Sgt. Anthony Hayworth before. He was a friend of mine.

I enjoyed "Lest Among Saints" because it made me think (that's my thing). And each of us are capable of becoming "least among saints", but only when we choose to give a darn about someone else, and then try to make a difference.

For more on Veterans assistance visit Fenix281.org

I stumbled across this indie film in L.A., and was very pleasantly surprised! The lead character (played my Martin Papazian) grabbed my interest in the very first scene, and held it til the end, in a subtle, layered performance as a haunted war vet, that has us rooting for him despite his flaws, and very deserving of top critic Jeffrey Lyons calling him a "rising star". The supporting cast was equally strong, with such talented veterans as AJ Cook as the drugged out mother, Laura San Giacomo as the tough as nails, wise-cracking social worker, and the always powerful Charles S. Dutton as a police chief, plus many other great supporting performances, not the least of which was newcomer Tristan Lake Leabu as the kid. I heartily recommend this film - it's a real find!

A moving story that is not sugar coated and deals with the many issues that veterans returning home from war experience but often not understood. They are casualties of war. I highly recommend taking the time to see this important film that was written with humanity & compassion. All the actors in this film were fantastic!! I really enjoyed the Q & A following the film with Martin Papazian, Writer/Director/Actor & Guy Skinner , Cinematograher!!! We also got to meet an important character in this movie, Milo! This allowed the audience to get the story behind the story from Mr. Papazian and his motivation for writing such a compelling story!

I was hoping to like this movie, I wanted to like it. I usually enjoy character driven movies, more so when they have child - adult interaction.

Watching this movie I couldn't help but feel I was watching a soap opera, or at best a made for TV movie. It doesn't deserve the high rating it has here on IMDb. The film is based around a formula of pity and compassion, which has failed miserably. An adult ex military, a kid with problems, a dog, all coming together to make life worth living, but it doesn't work this time, rarely does when you rely on formula alone. The acting is woeful, unbelievable. The hard nosed social services woman is so over acted, the movie is melodramatic in every sense. Hollywood produces these movies based purely on formula and think the formula will work every time, sadly Hollywood has got it wrong.

When looking at movies with adult - child interaction and character driven, see The Butterfly (2002) aka Le papillon, or Oshin (2013), Skyggen af Emma (1988).

As I stated previously, I wanted to like this movie, but didn't at all.