Feature Film Review
Film Info:
LITTLE PIECES is the story of Michael and Eric, two young men on a collision course with the world around them. As they race violently towards each other their world comes crashing down, changing their lives forever. Finnian Nainby-Luxmoore, Matt Jones, Isabelle Glinn, Graham Cawte and Peter Oliver star in this story of love, violence, reconciliation and family in which all the pieces matter. Written By: Adam Nelson Directed By: Adam Nelson Genre: Drama 80 Minutes IndyRed.com |
The short version of this review? I really liked Little Pieces. A pleasure to watch! Glad I had the chance to be one of the first few to see it! What makes me even happier? The steady stream of nice work that's been coming in lately giving the term "Independent" a much greater - and more glamorous meaning. Especially to the regular movie-watching public. Writer/Director Adam Nelson is clearly helping raise the bar and in one form or another, we all benefit.
Almost at once, I was taken into the world of Little Pieces through its examination of emotional trauma and personal self-worth. The characters each take on a range of different emotional aspects from the spectrum. These people are clearly not the same canned characters we all know from indie flicks, and each has its own respective faults and strengths. Even the character you really want to hate is able to be related to... or at the very least understood. This is a great gift to have for a writer, and one that was used heavily and to great effect. Without giving away any of the film let me say that the "Skating Scene" really did a great emotional number on me and I really enjoyed it. I figure each person will relate to scenes in a different way. Thus the nature of a good film. Adam Nelson has a gift for capturing "Moments" and that gift really shines through. The character portrayals themselves were, for the most part, spot on. One of the more interesting roles to me was Peter Oliver's role as Jerry. In many ways, Jerry mirrored many of my older family members with their Old School views on the world, and the general life values that were passed to them. Mr. Oliver completely captured the essence of his character and for that I am grateful. A role such as his could have easily been ruined by the wrong actor. Not in this case though. Isabelle Glinn (Cheryl) and Finnian Nainby-Luxmore (Michael) both shine as the leads and have a true chemistry together. Not an easy, fairy tale kind of chemistry though... rather a real-life sometimes awkward kind of connection. The way these two interact with each other is a great treat in the world of Indie films! It shows the talent of both themselves and the person who cast them. I actually have to say that the entire cast did a fantastic job. I can't really think of any scenes that stand out as bad or weird. Another feather for the cap... so to speak. On the technical side, everything seemed to be in place. A nice edit job that actually compliments the film rather than distracting from it, a nice flow throughout, and a great job in post all around. My only slight issue was the overuse of what appeared to be handheld of slightly shaky shots. In some cases this style can work really well but to me, with this film, it sometimes took me out of the world Little Pieces was building so beautifully. This is a very small thing and is probably more a personal gripe (On my part) than a tangible one. Overall I have to say (as I have already) that Little Pieces is a great film to check out when you can. A piece of entertainment that captures both the good and bad in all of us. Check out the trailer, join the page and wait for this Independent Gem of a film. You'll be glad you did. James Turner. Other Reviews That May Interest You
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