Monday, May 4, 2009

Atlanta Film Festival - Day Two

Friday, April 17th

The rest of the festival takes place at the Midtown Art Theatre, which is a really cool place that is almost solely dedicated to indie films. It has good access to nearby bars/restaurants, so I can grab something to eat in between and don't have to rely on the terrible movie theatre food. I was only able to make 1 film tonight (most other days will be 4-5 films), but it was a good one. Blood River (***) is about a young couple on a long road trip to tell her parents that she's pregnant. They break down on a long stretch of highway in the middle of the desert and have to hike to the next town to look for help. The name of the town is Blood River and it turns out to be a ghost town. A mysterious stranger eventually joins them in town and starts to cause trouble. This is a pretty good psychological horror film that is smart enough to understand that what is unexplained is often creepier than what is explained. The on location Nevada setting helps to build the tension as the pervasive heat begins to send the characters over the edge. The female lead was in attendance for an informative Q&A session afterwards.

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