Central and Remote

Interesting story of a couple living in Austin TX. Much of the story is told with visual images and music, no dialogue. This allows the story teller to require the viewer to create a plot that is very personal.

We are given cues by the interaction and limited dialogue of the three characters, but much remains to the imagination of the viewer. The actors portray their characters well; the capable and tech employed Isabel (Karie Ann Randol) we often see envisioning a better future. The half hearted Nicholas (Peter McCook) has not figured out how to grab what he wants out of life. And the down on his luck Lee (Luke Lanza) is an aspiring musician piecing together day jobs to follow his true passion.

We are left wondering how each character finds their way in the new world they have created.

The cinematography, which drives this film throughout, provides moving images that create powerful still images in the viewer's mind. This makes this quiet film memorable.

It is a nice set of slice of life stories that follow the three main characters as they move in and out of each others lives and on with their own, with realistic issues, such as feeling needs to make changes, and not a lot of melodrama or contrived situations. The acting is muted in a good way, like some British ensemble pieces, to show that thoughts are turning under awkward silences and spotty communication. It reminds me bit of some of John Sayles' movies in the interaction of the people. The cinematography shows the locations well and also adds to a sense of looking into the lives of these people from some distance and them also looking to other places and past each other.

As a native Austinite, I have experienced the tension of this city's growth over decades. In watching Central and Remote, I felt the real and subtle desires of the three main characters' efforts to find a place in the city, without letting it smother them at the same time. The framing within shots, the ambient sounds of the city surrounding them, and montages between scenes play against the evolving relationships of the three to create a compelling story deeply rooted in Austin, but also telling the story of city life everywhere. The director lets emotion live in what is said and what is unsaid, and I found myself thinking later of the moments I experienced during the film. Central and Remote is real life.