I’m always constantly talking about the big mistakes that independent filmmakers make when it comes to producing their first film.
It’s no secret that I’ve made them when I was making movies, and it’s the reason why I’m able to point out a lot of rookie mistakes. However with this film, simply titled Sympathy; Director Andrew Moorman seemed to do more things right with this production than he did wrong.
A constant problem that most first time filmmakers deal with is they write a script that is way to over the top with odd locations and over the top visuals that are hard to pull off without having a Hollywood type budget. What both director Andrew Moorman and writer Arik Martin did right when it came to the script is that they set the film to just one location, and one location only. Second thing they did right was have a cast of just three actors, and last but not least they were able to take the majority of their budget and put it towards the visuals and effects. Right out of pre-production these filmmakers were going into production doing all the right things to make a good film. And that they did, however the movie does have it flaws, but they are very minor ones which is a surprise for first time filmmakers.
Sympathy’s plot is simple but yet it is full of many twists. It starts off with a young man simply known as Trip (Steven Pritchard) who clams to be a bank robber. With him is a young girl named Sara (Marina Shtelen) whom is his hostage. Both are inside a hotel room where Trip handcuffs Sara to the bed, while he figures out what to do with her. Sara is a very tough girl and is interesting in knowing why she was taken hostage. Trip, not able to think gags her. Trip leaves the hotel room to go out and figure his next move. But when he returns he comes face to face with a guy named Dennis (Aaron Boucher) whom just broke out of jail and is on the run. He now takes Trip hostage. And now Sarah, Trip and Dennis are trusted into a violent game of survival in one hotel room, with only one gun and one knife to defend themselves with against one another. However this story has many twist and turns and will keep you guessing right up to the final conclusion of the film.
The script for Sympathy does have a few simple flaws, ones that probably could be fixed with some editing. My big problem with the overall film was that it was way to long and probably could be cut to make the film shorter. It just seems like a lot of story went into the script and that the filmmakers tried to get it all into the film, without making any simple cuts or sacrificing a scene here or there. Not to say that the film suffers because of it, but I found it easy to lose interest in some of the scenes as they felt like they dragged a bit. However where the script has it’s strong points is in its character development. All three characters in the film were very well written and all had a story to tell. The good thing about having such a small cast is that you have enough time to establish the whole cast and your audience will all have someone to relate too in the film. That’s the feeling you get with each of these characters, your able to see three different levels of anger with these characters as well as the sympathy they have towards one another.
With such a small cast grading the acting is not a hard thing to do. Now I can’t sit here and say that the acting was perfect in this film, because it also did have it’s flaws as well. All three cast members are fairly new actors and I wiling to bet this was probably their first feature film they worked on as leads actors. Their performances for the most part were actually pretty good, however there are some scenes in which you can see the actors slipping in and out of character. However each actor did very well in the scenes that mattered the most where the tension in the script gets hot and it becomes a battle for survival. It’s in the scenes that matter most where the acting shines.
The production value is actually pretty dam good. The set is simple as it just your ordinary dirt hole of a motel room fixed with a bed a table and chairs a nightstand with a phone and a bathroom. Nothing really special about the set design, however while doing some research I found out that crew actually built the motel room in a barn in Indiana. They could of fooled me because it actually did look a lot like a run down motel room. The modeled it after room one in the Bates Motel from Psycho. The visual are where the movie shines the most, it’s funny because the visual effects artist never meet the cast and crew of the film and was able to create all the effects during post production and then sent them over to the editor to be inserted in the film. The visual in this film are great, and even the use of special make-up effects look very realistic. Visuals don’t get much better than this, especially in an Independent feature. There were a few ADR issues that I was able to point out as a flaw in the film, but nothing that a fan might be able to pick up and can easily be adjusted. But the overall production value was really good in this flick.
Overall, Sympathy is a very well made film from a freshmen filmmaker. The film has some minor flaws, but nothing that can be easily be pointed out. Director Andrew Moorman made all the right moves when it came to making his first feature film and my hats off to him. With a lot of independent horror films being made, and most of them made very poorly it’s good to see that their is a guy like Moorman who has the talent to make a great film on such a small budget. Sympathy is a great film, that should easily find distribution. A very well made Independent feature that is sure to turn a lot of heads.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
