Faraway (2014):
Synopsis – The legend of a world right in our world’s
shadow, one of Gods and Demi-Gods, sends Audrey to the Philippines in pursuit
of treasure and legacy. Along the way she teams up with 2 plucky Filipino
youths and an American expat who is also looking for a new lease on life. Danger
stalks the adventurers from the very beginning, as where treasure is involved,
bandits are sure to follow.
Starring – Dana Jamison, Nick Medina, Genelyka Castin, Leonard Olaer, others
FULL DISCLOSURE: I
know the film maker. I worked with Mr. Randal Kamradt
in a local stage production. I played Ranger Rick for those of you dying to
know. Back then we chatted a little while about film, and he mentioned he was a
film maker. I said I would love to see his stuff, and we pretty much left it at
that. A few years later, I got a message from Mr. Kamradt, inviting me to see
the film he had made recently. Naturally I was super happy to get a chance to
see his movie, so I took him up on his offer! After I watched, I was told that
when I reviewed it, I should keep the kid gloves off. So here is what I’ve got,
after trying my best to remain objective and unbiased. Being unbiased is
impossible by the way; Faraway is a true indie film after all. No one
wants to kick the little guy. The makers of this film tried to make an action/adventure
movie on a tiny budget, and what they came away with is pretty damn good
considering that. Faraway leans more toward an art film than anything
Hollywood produces. I prefer my films arty most of the time, but trying to make
a low budget action movie was really ambitious, and the production suffers
sometimes because of that. That being said, the effort alone is admirable, and
I cannot wait to see future works from these film makers. Hopefully many others
will get to see their work soon as well.
What I Liked:
-Beautiful
cinematography is seen throughout the movie. The Philippines is apparently full
of lovely looking places, despite how it is often portrayed in films as grimy and
unruly. Even the towns in the film have a charm to them. If I had to guess
where money went in the movie, I’d say in the camera equipment.
-I gotta say, the
score is pretty good for a low budget film.
-I am a fan of the
use of non-professional actors. Both of the Filipino leads are
non-professional, and I think they both did a fantastic job. Especially
Genelyka Castin as Hazel. She knocked it out of the park in my opinion.
What I Didn’t
Like:
-Frankly, making my
critical opinions known on a low-budget film like this really feels like a
cheap shot. BUT, I said I would treat this seriously and so I will. So here are
my complaints, and these are all the minor nitpicks: Editing was a little off
sometimes; some of the shots were out of focus; most of the night time scenes
were much too dark, obscuring the action; the sound sometimes dipped out to
inaudible levels; the main actress sometimes seemed tired of what she was
saying. Argh, I feel like an ass for pointing this stuff out. It really doesn’t
detract that much from the movie; they are just things I noticed.
-Here is my only
unapologetic complaint: Nick Medina in the first part of the movie is hamming
it up big time. He is supposed to be a screenwriter who has run away from
Hollywood so he can have the freedom to write without the pressures of the
system, but he doesn’t come off as someone who has experience doing that at all.
I think he does an excellent job of playing someone who has “gone native” and
blends in with the environment of the Philippines settings. His character has
becomes a local, and because of that he is perfectly suited as a guide in the
adventure. After Medina settles into the guide role, he becomes quite enjoyable
in the movie. I realize that this is supposed to come off as an evolution of
his character, but he is too over the top in the beginning.
-I don’t know if
the movie is actually rated by the MPAA, but if it was it would be an R for
language, violence, and suggested sexual content. I think that the language and
violence does a disservice to the film, because otherwise it is a very fun
adventure film that would be appropriate for any age, a la an Indian Jones
movie. A lot of F-Bombs are thrown around, and they aren’t needed.
What I Hated:
-No, no, nothing
warrants any hate this time. Sorry, dudes.
Verdict:
I
don’t know when people will get a chance to see this movie, but I can say if
you want to see a fun adventure movie with some fantasy elements, made by a
promising film maker, then you can’t really go wrong. KEEP IN MIND, this is a
low budget action movie. Set your expectations appropriately and you can’t go
wrong.http://www.faraway-film.com/
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