Throughout the first 15 minutes of this movie, I was cringing at the thought of spending another hour getting through the rest of it. This is because it plays like it is going to be an "art" film filled with weird imagery that doesn't make sense to anyone other than the filmmakers. Thankfully, this changes quite dramatically when we start to learn that the lead character is on a quest to find someone that she loves in a wasteland where most of the inhabitants of the world are hooked on a drug called "The Drip". The end result is something that has a dreamy quality in a post-apocalyptic setting, which makes for a unique and impressive cinematic experience. I should not have expected anything less from the folks at Heretic Films who have released some of the best low-budget films out there (with the exception of Last Exit). After a number of searches for the current state of the company, I am coming to the conclusion that they may no longer be around. It is a shame if that is the case as they provided a great outlet for truly independent genre pictures.

Jennifer West Savitch stars as Clare, a woman who resembles a young, world-weary Sharon Stone or Amanda Peet. She is searching for a past love and does so with bored indifference until we begin to see the bleakness of the world around her. Most people are permanently stoned or have given up their lives to become "angels" which are essentially servants for the weird and fried rich. Eventually, Clare meets Miles (Dominik Overstreet) who is an exception and seems to have some life left in him but we do not know what his intentions are. We try to decide whether he is a con man preying on the weak or if he is another person who has nearly given up hope and who finds a purpose in helping Clare on her quest. The two of them travel around and eventually end up at a dilapidated mansion filled with bizarre characters in a scene that feels like the party scene in Eyes Wide Shut directed by David Lynch.

What I found to be the most striking about this film is the beautiful black and white photography and the performances of the two lead actors. These two elements made me completely forget that I was watching a low budget movie and Savitch has a screen presence that is rarely seen in an independent film at this level. Overstreet has a similar quality and both of them completely take over any scene that they are in. This is made even more impressive with the confident camera work where obvious planning was made to make each shot as perfect as possible. This is especially evident in the black and white images. The film also contains a number of color "flashback" sequences that unfortunately have a little more of the amateur-looking cinematography that we have come to know in pictures with limited resources. Although writer director Michael Gibson may have been looking for a specific type of feel with these flashbacks, they have a tendency to take the viewer out of the story because they seem out of place. I have mixed feelings about the flashbacks because by the end of the film, they all make sense but I wish a different style had been used to convey the same information. Regardless, these sequences are short and infrequent and do not detract from how great the rest of the movie looks.

I am impressed that director Gibson had the balls to make a movie with a far-out concept and some impressive production design on such a low budget. This movie is a testament that if you really want to make something work, it is possible to pull it off if you surround yourself with a good team and have a little luck. You obviously need to have quite a bit of talent as well (which Gibson clearly does) and the next time I hear a director making excuses for him or herself because of their limited budget, I will think of this film and the occasional one like it that reminds us that you do not need millions of dollars to make a solid and ambitious flick that people can enjoy. (Josh Pasnak, 12/5/09)

Directed By: Michael Ferris Gibson.
Written By: Michael Ferris Gibson.

Starring: Jennifer West Savitch, Dominik Overstreet, Bruce Goodchild, Anne Goldmann.

Picture Ratio: 1.77:1 Widescreen.

Picture Quality: The black and white sequences are crisp and clear while the color sequences have some grain that I believe is intentional. It is a nice print but would be nicer if it was anamorphic.

Extras: First up, we get a commentary from Gibson. He is very easy to listen to and explains the story and what he was trying to do with the characters. There is also a lot of good behind-the-scenes info where he talks about the difficulties of shooting a low budget movie and how it took a number of years to have a finished product he is happy with. We also get a few deleted scenes and a handful of trailers.