THE ABSENCE OF EDEN (2024)

April 11, 2024

Greetings again from the darkness. “It’s us or them.” That’s a line spoken by one of the ICE officers after a particularly physical and dangerous altercation with an illegal immigrant. In this particular instance, the words ring true. However, writer-director Marco Perego and co-writer Rick Rapoza show both sides of this coin that has generated so much passionate debate among politicians and the citizenry. The film strives to show the humanity of all involved, and how a lack of humanity can cause more problems than it solves.

Garrett Hedlund (MUDBOUND, 20 17) stars as Shipp, a new ICE recruit. We see him volunteer to be first in the “Taser Training” so that he knows what the recipient experiences. He’s a man of few words, though he seems smitten with his girlfriend Yadira (Adria Arjona, MORBIUS, 2022), a single mom who may or may not be withholding pertinent information. Shipp’s more experienced ICE partner, Dobbins (Chris Coy, THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS), is the one who speaks the line of dialogue quoted above. Dobbins has a singular view of his job and of those crossing the border illegally, while Shipp is a bit more confused on how best to handle things.

The other key story here revolves around Esmee (Zoe Saldana, Gamora in the Marvel Universe). She’s an exotic dancer in Mexico until her self-defense against one customer goes sideways and she’s forced to flee. Her trek to the border finds her protecting a young girl, and then getting dragged into the underworld. There is a scene with a drug dealer that features one of my cinematic pet peeves. Why is it when a drug dealer gives a phone to someone and tells them to keep it on at all times, they never furnish a charger? I can understand a lack of respect, but that phone isn’t going to last long without a charger. Just a minor rant that I often need to release after a movie.

Director Perego is a renowned conceptual artist and he’s married to Zoe Saldana. Together they depict the realities at the U.S. southern border. ICE is working to follow guidelines, while immigrants are in search of a better life. Things sometimes don’t work out well for either. We see the ICE raids and we see the daily struggles of immigrants. Despite this, there seems to be no solution in sight, so the conflicts carry on day after day.

Opens in theaters on April 12, 2024

WATCH THE TRAILER

2 Comments | Drama | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS (2021)

May 13, 2021

Greetings again from the darkness. The film opens with a man pointing a gun at a sleeping couple. We hold our breath in anticipation until the tense moment abruptly passes. At its most extreme moments, life can push people to their emotional and physical limits, and that’s what we see with David, played exceptionally well by Clayne Crawford (TV series: “Lethal Weapon”, “Rectify”).

The foreboding of that opening scene cloaks the entire film with an inevitability that we never shake. David is living with his ailing father (Bruce Graham) right down the street from Niki (Sepideh Moafi, “The Deuce”), his high school sweetheart, and the mother of his teenage daughter and three younger sons. David and Niki are in the midst of a trial separation, in which they’ve agreed to see other people while also trying to work things out. They even try “date night”, which is where it becomes painfully clear to us that Niki not only has a new boyfriend (Chris Coy), but she’s doing well at her job, and is looking to the future. It’s likely she agreed to the separation to make the transition easier on David, whose pride will not allow him to accept the break-up of his family.

David’s a loving father, but he lacks the emotional maturity to handle the situation. The strain of it all has him simmering with rage – even as he hustles for manual labor jobs and tends to his dad. His dream of being a singer-songwriter is in the distant past and now he’s in crisis mode. Even his daughter Jesse (Avery Pizzuto) advises him of Niki’s situation. This is a small town with wide open spaces, but David can barely breathe, and this is perfectly captured by cinematographer Oscar Ignacio Jimenez.

Robert Machoian is the writer-director-producer-editor, and he keeps the characters and situation grounded in reality and familiarity. He was co-director with Rodrigo-Ojeda Beck of GOD BLESS THE CHILD, a film I saw at the 2015 Oak Cliff Film Festival in Dallas, and he possesses a distinct feel for the little things that seem big in life. Crawford expertly captures the essence of a man caught in a grim situation. I would have liked to have seen another interaction between he and Chris Coy, but what we do see is chilling. Take special note of the sound effects from Peter Albrechtsen – highly unusual, but effective in helping us understand the chaos inside David’s head. Mr. Machoian is a filmmaker to follow.

Available in select theaters and VOD on May 14, 2021

WATCH THE TRAILER

Leave a Comment » | Drama | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson

THE BARBER (2015)

March 23, 2015

barber Greetings again from the darkness. There is a theory that to catch a killer, one must think like a killer. Young John McCormack is in the next room when his detective father, frustrated at being unable to put away a serial killer, commits suicide. Flash forward twenty years, and John is now himself a police officer intent on finishing his father’s work … and gaining a bit of revenge in the process.

The story picks up as John (Chris Coy) has tracked Francis Visser to a small town, where he is known as Eugene the town barber, a gentle and dignified friend to all. Scott Glenn portrays Eugene as a slow-shuffling elderly gentleman who doesn’t much appreciate profanity, rudeness or poor decisions. He is even friends with the local police chief (Stephen Tobolowsky), who accepts Eugene’s word on just about any topic.

The cat and mouse game between John and Eugene plays a bit like Sleuth (1972) where each participant sees himself as smarter than the other. Only this time, there are 17 previous murders to go along with the developments after Eugene agrees to mentor John on the fine art of stalking, planning and killing without evidence.

Beginning with a gypsy proverb: “You have to dig deep to bury your father”, the film seems to use that quote figuratively and literally, as being buried alive plays a role alongside the detective father’s ruinous obsession. Supporting work is provided by Kristen Heger, as John’s co-worker (and more), Olivia Taylor Dudley as the waitress looking to John for fun, and Max Arciniega as Eugene’s barber shop employee.

More attention to the John vs Eugene piece, and a little less to the various sub-plots, could have tightened up this thriller and elevated it to an even more suspenseful level. Mr. Glenn and Mr. Coy are both excellent, and at their best when sharing a scene. It’s a nice first feature from director Basel Owies, who has an eye for nuanced characters with a dark side.

watch the trailer:

 

4 Comments | Thriller | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by David Ferguson