GuyDGazit

This low-budget supernatural action horror film is proof that you don't need a billion dollars to make a good, enjoyable, and high-end movie - worth watching on the big screen...

I've watched the movie during the "Screamfest" horror film festival in LA, 2013, and although I had no expectations, I was surprised by the quality of the film...

Director Michael S. Ojeda has done beautiful work - with a wonderful little tale of revenge that turns epic, artistic shots and mise-en- scene, which fit perfectly in the slasher-genre, great actor-directing, fluent and precise editing, and excellent special effects...

In my opinion, having done most of the pre-production and post- production work on his own - definitely entitles Ojeda as being a new generation "Auteur-Director"...

The cast was awesome, each and everyone of them, and the producers have done great work - utilizing whatever budget they managed to scrape into making this slasher a great movie...

A lot of people (mostly non show-biz people, but some which are) think filmmaking is an easy enough job - a cozy, smooth, fun and carefree process done by people who are eternal children, people who refuse to grow up and get normal day jobs, people who live in a world of fantasy... mostly referred to as LalaLand. Although some of it may be somewhat true (about the filmmaking being young at heart), the reality of it is that filmmaking is one of the hardest, harshest and most non-gratifying of all occupations - artistic or non-artistic.

As a freelance filmmaker with a bit of experience in trying to create my own films (in Israel and outside it), this movie has been a very empathetic-sympathetic story to which I could relate very easily. I think this documentary is a must for anyone who thinks movies are whipped out of one's sleeve, or get done by a mere shake of a magic wand. Anyone thinking about making a movie, as a client of filmmakers such as myself, should be educated about the hardships of the profession. If applied to animated movies - just multiply it by ten... Filmmaking is not only very time-consuming (and time is - as we all know - money), but it is also a form of art which is the work of many, rather than that of a single person, as each of the people working on a movie has his specific job. There are differences between independent movies and those of the film industry (especially funding-wise), but the process of making them is pretty much the same.

The documentary is educational and emotional, and is recommended for anyone who's a movie fan, and wishes to learn more about the backstage struggles of independent filmmaking.

As a rule, "small"-"human" dramas are not my first choice as a genre, not in books, not in theaters, not on TV, nor on the big screen. I rarely find an "action-free" or non-Sci-Fi, non epic-narrative drama which truly pulls me into its narrative. Mayhap it's my seeking escapism in the art I consume, or the fact my life experience have left me a little "bored" with the small, trivial and daily dramas we're all surrounded by... Memorable human dramas on film are quite rare with me, as such selective a viewer that I am. However, as with any rule, naturally there are exceptions... A few examples of such "small" dramatic narrative movies that actually had such an impact on me would have to be: "The Stone Angel", "Regarding Henry", "Door to door", "Kes"... and now that I've watched it - "Broken Kingdom" is the newest addition to the list...

"Broken Kingdom" portrays two intertwined stories, of no epic proportion, with a truly "small", "human" and "humane" narratives. on one hand - the display of buds of humanity and affection in a sea of cruelty in a poverty stricken 3rd world country, and on the other hand - the daily bearing of a tragic unspoken memory in PC-America.

The cast is spectacular, and I found that the visual quality of the film is impeccable - very aesthetic and precise. All in all, for the low- budget this production had, it is truly a remarkable product. The writer-director-star, Daniel Gillies, did a very good job, under all 3 of his "hats".