slaw-89071

I rented this movie after seeing an interview with the writer/director Jonathan Sheldon. There were two red flags during the interview and I should have heeded the warnings. The first is that Sheldon is painfully inarticulate. He repeatedly referred to things as "Molotov Cocktail-like". I did not hold this against him until I saw the movie and realized that inarticulate did in fact translate to an unintelligent and terribly crafted script. Secondly, in the interview, Sheldon had the audacity to compare his film to Tootsie. I'm an old guy, so I got the reference, but for the younger crowd, Tootsie is probably considered one of the top fifty comedies of all time. For Sheldon to compare his ridiculous, poorly acted, poorly directed film to one of the best movies of all time is insulting to cinephiles, writers, directors, actors and those who are intelligent. Swing State might make a top fifty list, but it is more likely the top fifty worst political comedies of all time. I urge you not to spend money renting this movie. It is insulting in every regard.

This was an exceptionally beautiful film. It is visually stunning and as the movie unfolds so do the characters until their depths are known to us the audience. The performances were incredibly moving and the script was thoughtful. Attention to every detail was clear and the mastery of the artists who crafted this film was apparent. The story is truly heart wrenching and there was not a dry eye in the theatre. Thematically, the movie forces the viewer to confront issues such as poverty, wealth disparities, the best interest of children and much more. The film is truly haunting and not only evoked a lot of emotion during the movie, but is incredibly thought provoking. This was a great watch!