It’s a dark and interesting story with a very simple message about drinking and driving, however it’s also dark visually yet amid technical issues and lack of experience this film still gets a powerful message across. Don’t drink and drive.
The plot is paper thin mirroring the structure of a PSA. That’s not a critique, producing public service announcements and commercials are two sides of the same lucrative coin. Adam and his wife Stacy decide to drive home after a party drunk and they end up crashing. The message is wholesome and timely coming out just days after DUI heavy New Years Eve. According to MN DPS there were 138 DWI arrests from 6pm to 6am on the holiday and we all know arrests like that effect way more than the people getting booked.
The sound-bed is sufficient supplying car crash noises and heartbeat blips during the hospital scene except in the beginning with the doors opening there is no sound effect for her door. I like the minimalist approach of sounds, but visually the entire piece is hard to see and poorly lit.
The shot choices are accurate and by the book for dialogue and the actors do an OK job however the script felt like it hadn’t been practiced or fleshed out with realistic dialogue that people would actually say rather I felt the choices made were dialogue out of the anti-drug chapter in a high school textbook rather than a standalone film. I did like the extended feel of the hospital scene though.
Overall the twist was done well and you took your time editing the hospital scene to create a powerful moment that overcame a lot of the technical issues. I liked this film. 7/10
You can watch James Bottoms film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2vYno8mpIw&t=965s
Cited: https://www.kaaltv.com/news/minnesota-new-years-dwi-arrested-latest/5595468/
Skills Give Life To Dreams 