FILM INFO: Some soldiers return from battle. Others never return. Even others return physically, but never really return. Follow the story of a soldier who battles all three.
WRITTEN BY: Shane Willis DIRECTED BY: Jeff Rose GENRE: Drama TIME: 12 minutes.
The life of a soldier. Do you job. Follow your orders and go home. Or maybe you're not so lucky. Maybe going home was never in the cards for you, but that's not where it ends. The people who "did" manage to make it out face a new set of problems. Guilt and hatred to name a couple. The guilt is a personal demon of many soldiers returning home. Guilt for making it out, and guilt for those who didn't. Especially if you were the one ordering the less fortunate to their death. The hatred comes from the families of those not returning. Hatred, accusations and blame. A "soldier" knows what they've signed up for. The families and friends? It's not so black and white. This is where "A Soldiers Rest" from writer Shane Willis comes into play. After the fact. An ill parent of a fallen soldier calls upon said soldier's commanding officer. His intentions are not immediately clear, but that changes quickly. What starts with an uncomfortable visit quickly turns deadly, and director Jeff Rose knows how to amp up the tension. This is a quick story of loss, grief and revenge. All done within twelve minutes, and done with a flare for the dramatic. The initial two or three minutes at the start of the film do not represent what follows. It almost felt as if the opening segment was done by someone else completely, but that's really not the point. To be blunt, during the opening I was not expecting much from this title. As I said however, that changed as soon as the indoor scenes started. Once this movie begins, indoors, it's an excellently filmed project. It's a shame some of the opening scenes were not edited out. Sure, a minute or so would be lost... but the film would flow all the better. Aside from that, the production value is easily worthy of your favorite television channel or short film portal. The story itself is a good one, although not perfect. I'll get into that shortly but for all purposes... it works. It works well. The small cast also deserve a special shout-out. Tom Glynn and Shane Willis do fantastic jobs in their respective roles. So much so, that you may just forget you're watching an indie short film. Their actions and reactions, or lack of, feel perfect... and really land some credibility to this production. In a nutshell? This production feels like one with a much larger budget than it surely had. In near every way. I mentioned some plot issues above, so let me touch up on that now. The "twist" at the end just didn't make sense entirely. It's tough to write this without spoilers, so anyone not wanting hints, do not read the next few lines... but the intent was to imprison our leading man. With all the evidence left behind, and the kidnapping... that probably wouldn't happen. Realistically, the shooting would probably be deemed justified. Making the entire plot kind of fall through. The film still works as it plays out before your eyes. It's after the fact, when you begin to think things through, that you find yourself asking questions. All in all, "A Soldiers Rest" was visually excellent but more to the point... it was entertaining. Any slight plot issues do not stop you from enjoying this title as it plays on your screen. The tension is real and "A Soldiers Rest" is engaging. I really can't find any reason not to recommend this to anyone looking for something cool to watch. Check out their Facebook page and as soon as one becomes available, we'll update our page with links to trailers and such. A solid four out of five.
