Being an independent filmmaker means wearing nearly every single hat of production, beginning with the script and someday ending with distribution and promotion. In between all that, there's the movie itself.
First timer Jason Bee brings us a solid feature film containing a realistic look of someone struggling with mental illness yet makes it relateable to virtually anyone ever in a romantic relationship. At its core, Donovan is about taking responsibility for your own decisions and how they affect the people in your life. It's effective and powerful, especially if you've ever had an up close look at mental illness, specifically Bipolar Disorder.
Bee deftly relays these unimaginably difficult experiences to the audience with every scene, situation, character, sentence and facial expression. It's jarring in it's honesty but manages to find places for levity. Most importantly, you care about the characters in this story. You have no choice but to sit and watch and feel and hope and root Donovan on. This movie will last in your mind for a long while after the credits roll.
