INDIES: “A Small Fortune.” / “Sweet Virginia.” / “Goodland.” / “Slow West.”

“A Small Fortune” (2021, Amazon Prime) Canadian crime drama. A man lives in a small village in Prince Edward Island makes a subsistence living harvesting sea moss on the coast, resisting the urging of his wife Sam that he leaves the province to look for more stable and well-paying work. One day he finds a large stash of money on the beach and hides it for himself. 



       This noirish “thriller” is pretty well-acted to complement the crisp writing and minimalist direction. Reminds me of the Coen brothers’ classic “No Country for Old Men.” To think that this indie is Adam Perry's feature directorial debut, an expansion of his earlier short film “A Blessing from the Sea.” He needs to make more movies, this guy. 🎥💻📽


“Sweet Virginia” (2017, Tubi) neo-noir thriller. In a small town where there has been a spate of recent violence, a former rodeo star meets a young man who he develops a burgeoning friendship with. However, he is unaware of his new friend's true nature.



       True to its noir tag, this movie is characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity. Decent enough for a movie, with stellar acting by Jon Bernthal and Christopher Abbott. 🎥💻📽


“Goodland” (2017, Amazon Prime) action drama. When the body of a drifter is discovered the same day a photographer arrives in a small farming community, the local sheriff is left to piece together a string of events that don't quite add up. Fine little indie effort by writer/director Josh Doke.

       The movie has the slow-burn trappings of a noir and well-acted, too, especially by Cinnamon Schultz as Sheriff Georgette Gaines and Matthew J Weiss as Ergo Raines. I hadn't heard of these performers, and Mr Doke, until this movie which I enjoyed. 🎥💻📽



<>“Slow West” (2015, Amazon Prime) revisionist Western film about a young Scotsman who searches for his lost love in the American West, accompanied by a bounty hunter. 

       Another exemplary directorial debut: John MacLean. At the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, this movie was awarded the World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic Winner. Truly deserving. Inventive, tight, and well-acted. 

Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jay Cavendish is definitely one of the best young performers these days though he needs to gain more poundage so as not to be typecast as a frail, weak and scared individual.


       Mr Smit-McPhee is ably supported by Michael Fassbender and there's Ben Mendelsohn, too. 🎥💻📽


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