FILM INFO:
June 1943, Officer Harvey, a white police officer and black business owner Carver Jefferson meet while Beaumont is under martial law. Tensions explode, forcing them to make decisions that will question their morals.

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The Example
( 2016 )
Written by: Gordon Williams   |   Directed By: Wyatt Cagle   |   Genre: Drama   |   Length: 20 minutes.

Feature Film Review

  The past is usually remembered as a glorious time by so many people. Especially from those who were around many decades ago. A simpler time where life wasn't so fast paced, and nobody locked their doors. Movies in particular, love to shine a light with sgleaming and nostalgic images and stories. Even the younger, and current generation, have to look and think how great it must have been. The only complaint? No internet. Yet for those hearing stories of the darker side, or for those who were present, that happy glowing place many authors and filmmakers want us to see never really existed. The manufactured fiction is just that. A fiction. Akin to those classic video games my generation remembers as being so damn great... when in reality they were pretty bad. The negative press that does make it into film, of past decades, for the most part relates to the war. The truth is that the war was only a small, quick kind of horrible. "The Example" showcases the enduring kind of horrible. A horrible ideal that had already been around for so long, it was considered normal. "The Example" shines a light on racism. Plain. Simple. Old fashioned hate. The victims of this outdated ideal that just won't let go? To quote a line from this film, that sums things up perfectly... the darkies. And let me tell you something ladies and gents. A disgusting secret that us modern folks try and keep hidden in these enlightened modern times. Gordon Williams, who wrote this short film, probably knows this secret himself. What's that you ask? It's simple. "The Example" is still relevant. In many ways, maybe even more now than ever. Some things never go out of style... especially things that should never have been in style in the first place. For me however, "The Example" reminds us of one important thing. Maybe even the most important. Hope remains. Perhaps the best trick this short little movie acts out? No matter how bad things can get, it all comes down to one basic group of ideas. Good and bad. Right and wrong. As "The Example" guides it's viewers on their journey, it also makes sure to showcase the basic principles of morality. Ethics. What I found even more endearing about this film? The bulk of these moral lessons came not from our leading men... but from the woman of the movie. I couldn't help but think of that old quote most of us have heard. Beside every great man is a great woman.
  I'm not going to lie. I may be a little biased when writing this review because this material always gets to me. In a big way. Being a white, middle aged male, I generally think things are so much better in today's world. Perhaps they are... within my little bubble. Then, I see something like "The Example" and my mind really starts to go into overdrive. You see... it's not that I don't understand how far the majority of people have come. It's that I also understand how far there still is to go. Now, for the normal person, racism is veiled in jokes. Fun little jabs or family contained humor, locked within closed doors. "I'm not racist... it's just a funny joke" seems to be the way of thinking today. Yet I also know that in reality... it's not funny at all. Even worse is that I also know this should never, in any calendar year, have been allowed to become a "thing" in the first place. Wyatt Cagle manages to direct a short film that clearly showcases just how bad things used to be. He cleverly knew how to get the feel and reaction out of this talented cast. We see first hand how horrendous it must have been, to live in a time where racism was so open and common, and also showcase the fear that drove it. Yet a film like this should never have had a true to life mentality to base itself on in the first place. At the very least, it should have no relevance in the world of today. Yet it does. That fact makes this both a truly entertaining piece... and a scary one. Did I mention how damn good this movie looks? As it shines it's probing light? Or how well the cast have done acting out this historic drama? All of this factors in as you, the viewer, see firsthand how cruel people can be when they are scared. How savage they can be. As much as I hate that I keep comparing a period drama to current day events, I simply can't help it. "The Example" demands I make these connections. Truthfully? Why the hell shouldn't it? This is a great looking movie. It's a film that flows from start to finish, keeping your eyes in place as if glued to the screen. It's a movie you'll simply have to think about. No question about that.
  When it's all said and done "The Example" does what it sets out to do. It did for me anyhow. Combining some excellent visuals with some excellent acting is half the battle. Adding in a story that makes you think above and beyond the film, is another beast completely.  Maybe it is the lack of similar themes in the world of independent film that really got me hooked - but I think there is a simpler explanation. "The Example" is just a good film. An entertaining movie... even if the concept isn't a happy one. Favorite sequence? That moment the gun misfired. What a great way to fully turn a person around for the better. Through a defect.

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