Forget whatever it is you know about Peter Facinelli from "Can't Hardly Wait" or the canceled series "Fastlane" -- neither of those projects even hinted at the depth he taps into here. Under the direction of Robert Ethan Gunnerson (this is one of the strongest debuts in recent memory), Facinelli is born again as an actor. Equally impressive is the debut of Raina-Simone Moore, who brings refreshing earthiness and wit to what could have been a stock character.
There are a lot of preconceived notions about "drug dramas," but this film should be seen first and foremost as a human drama. Instead of going for the trippy style of "Requiem for a Dream" or the barebones realism of "Drugstore Cowboy" -- Gunnerson wisely doesn't aim for one extreme. He also makes striking use of selective coloring, with colored objects popping out of black-and-white frames. In the hands of a lesser director, this could be a distracting gimmick, but here it works beautifully, speaking volumes about each character.
Funny how the film's budget was well under a million dollars, and yet it is has so much more heart and soul than the $150 million "Miami Vice." Seek it out, and you'll feel like you've made a great discovery. Days after seeing it, I can't shake it -- and I don't want to.
There are a lot of preconceived notions about "drug dramas," but this film should be seen first and foremost as a human drama. Instead of going for the trippy style of "Requiem for a Dream" or the barebones realism of "Drugstore Cowboy" -- Gunnerson wisely doesn't aim for one extreme. He also makes striking use of selective coloring, with colored objects popping out of black-and-white frames. In the hands of a lesser director, this could be a distracting gimmick, but here it works beautifully, speaking volumes about each character.
Funny how the film's budget was well under a million dollars, and yet it is has so much more heart and soul than the $150 million "Miami Vice." Seek it out, and you'll feel like you've made a great discovery. Days after seeing it, I can't shake it -- and I don't want to.