The Film:

Every once in a while, an independent film slips through the cracks, only to have people never hear of it. Usually, that’s a sign that the film is probably best left unheard of, but in the case of Elsewhere, I feel sorry that it isn’t getting a little attention. What seems like generic independent junk on paper; pretty teens, a mystery, they solve it, turns out to be a nice little thriller. Nathan Hope, the writer/director and a TV veteran from CSI, really carries the film out of any possible blandness with a nice script.

The film focuses on a small town, and a missing girl. Nothing to that as that’s kind of a traditional set-up, but the topic of the social networking sites, like Facebook or Myspace, and the nature of a person’s background, adds some interesting subtext to the film. The cops aren’t really interested in this missing girl due to her past. We see real life incidents that mimic this scenario. The film is a thriller, but flirts with some supernatural elements. The mystery is probably the film’s more predictable and clichéd angle, but Hope really understands and develops the teens’ relationships with each other, while examining their online culture.

The acting is good, and really adds to the film. Anna Kendrick (Twilight) anchors the film as she goes looking for her friend. Far too many times, we see these indie films casting pretty faces and they can’t act, let alone sell us the drama, but Hope chose wisely, and Elsewhere benefits from that. The film peters out, and the mystery is sort of predictable. Oh well, because Elsewhere is a nice little film, and ascends the crap that fills out store shelves. The film tries to tackle interesting issues, and despite the anticlimax of the “reveal”, spending time with characters that are handled like real people, instead of teen caricatures is a refreshing one. Elsewhere is one of those films that by judging by its cover, it’ll get outright dismissed. Luckily for indie films, critics are the middle man that can sell it to an audience. They just need a helping hand, and this time, I was willing to grab hold. Hope could be an interesting guy to follow.

The Blu Ray:

Audio/Video: I haven’t heard of E1 Entertainment, but if this is a sign of things coming from them, I’ll be happy. For an unheard of indie, the audio is clear and bass heavy, while the video is crisp, detailed, and captures Hope’s gorgeous framing. This is a pretty solid looking and sounding high def disc.

Commentary: Hope is joined by his producer and offers an great listen as they chat about the nature of shooting an indie, casting, fun, and the hard work going into Elsewhere.

The Road to Elsewhere: This eleven minute piece is fine, offering us interviews spliced with footage form the film. Short and sweet, but gives us the actors take on the film. Shot in standard def.

Deleted Scenes and a Trailer round out the extras.

Conclusion: So what if you haven’t heard of this film. It’ll make for a decent rental for thriller fans, even if it doesn’t offer anything new, it’s well-acted, shot, and written.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu Ray: Rating:

Tags: Elsewhere, Facebook, Myspace, Twilight