FILM INFO: A killer decides to settle down in a small town and start a family. But first she has to find the right guy to help make it happen, whether he wants to or not.
WRITTEN BY: Nena Eskridge DIRECTED BY: Nena Eskridge GENRE: Drama TIME: 107 minutes
The indie film scene continues to impress me as time goes by. If "Stray" had been made five years earlier, it may have made some real waves in the indie industry. As it sits right now, writer/director Nena Eskridge serves up a solid dramatic production with a healthy side of thriller. Although an indie film, let's not confuse the no budget scene with the low budget one. "Stray" did have a little cash behind it, which afforded the production a pro cast and crew for the most part. With that said, it does play quite nicely, proving a little money can go a long way especially when used properly, and when the production team utilizes some creativity. The end result is a polished looking film that in many ways, stands tall with it's studio produced, heavily budgeted counterparts. Let's not be overly generous however, "Stray" probably is not be the next Oscar contender; that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a solid flick played out by a solid group of characters. As far as independent productions go however, Nena Eskridge provides an excellent diversion that looks pretty, sounds pretty, and contains a well written story. As I wrote above, the concept isn't groundbreaking or new by any stretch, but enough originality exists to keep things real and entertaining. For a first feature length film especially, "Stray" really is something to be proud of. The technical write up of this film will be brief, and should be short considering there was a small budget to help keep things on the up and up. As expected, the film edit itself is slick and polished. Keeping the narrative moving forward and easily showcasing the better elements of the production. Cinematography and audio are, for the most part, on the same level as most of what you'll catch floating around your TV or local movie screen, save the massively budgeted blockbuster films of recent years. The majority of the cast, especially Gabrielle Stone and Dan McGlaughlin, as our leads shine in their respective roles. Come to think of it, aside from an off sounding line here and there, everyone did a fantastic job! I especially liked... what I would have to call a "cameo" appearance by Andrew Sensenig. Job well done. When you combine all the above elements with a well written script and some good dialog, it's easy to forget that we've all seen this story before in one form or another. My one and only real complaint? I feel the film would have benefited from a slight cut to the run time. Ten minutes or so would have greatly improved the film in general. Maybe the longer version could have been saved for the directors cut? So? Did I find "Stray" to be an entertaining little diversion from my every day life? Yuppers. Sure did. On some levels it may not be the perfect movie, but it doesn't need or claim to be. Nena Eskridge provides an entertaining escape that I was more than happy to fall into. "Stray" isn't the be all end all of dramatic thrillers, but it easily flies well above the average mark. -BC
