While I love a good blockbuster movie, most of my favorite films are made independently.  I love watching talented filmmakers tell passionate stories.  I enjoy watching young actors light up the screen, pushing themselves as hard as they can because they don’t know when their next gig will be.  Filmmakers taking chances without a safety net.  David Spaltro is that type of filmmaker.  He’s a filmmaker willing to bet it all on his dream, and thankfully for his audience, his dream was a worthy investment.  

 

…Around is a story about a young ambitious filmmaker, Doyle Simms (Robert W. Evans), who decides to cross the Hudson and pursue his dream by going to film school in New York.  He comes from a family of neurotics, and his mother in particular does everything within her power to crush his aspirations.  Despite the obstacles Doyle pushes forward working as hard as he can to make his dream come true, but when he looses financial aid he is forced to live in out the majority of his school years as a homeless person.  It doesn’t take long for Doyle to fall into a groove, only when he lets himself fall in love does his world start crumbling around him.  He realizes that he needs to find a balance between the man he wants to be and the man he really is.  

A truly unique movie, …Around is a love letter to New York and a testament to what a filmmaker can accomplish with a tight script and a talented cast.  I was enamored by the characters in this film, I didn’t want the movie to end.  …Around was so well written it felt like I knew every single person that graced the screen.  Even secondary characters lived and breathed.  And all of the actors were phenomenal, especially Robert W. Evans, he showed exceptional range and ability especially with …Around being his first leading role in a feature film.  

This is a beautifully photographed film, with a stellar cast.  It’s the type of independent film that makes me proud to be a film geek.  If your reading this and you have a chance to catch …Around on the festival circuit I suggest doing so, because it was positively a killer film.

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Tags: ...Around, David Spaltro, New York, Robert W. Evens