Monday, September 26, 2016

Chasing Valentine (2015) Review



Chasing Valentine is the latest feature film from Splice Films that is quickly gathering attention, as well as awards. Most recently it took home the 2016 Austin Revolution Film Festival award for Best Foreign Feature Film.

The story follows Chase (Adam Langton) as he struggles to deal with loss after a heart-wrenching break up with the love of his life Scarlet (Jen Pogue). Antagonized and uplifted by his friend Brad (who is played by the scene-stealing Brad Cowan) he reserves himself to a life of the mundane until Valentine (Gwenlyn Cumyn) comes crashing into his world. Can a woman who has built a life of hiding behind fictitious call girl characters come crawling out of her shell, and if so, is Chase even ready to take on her demons as well as his own?

The film has a great start and then slows way down, maintaining that slow pace through most of the first half. We slowly learn about the characters and get a chance to witness some really noteworthy and award-winning acting from the cast. Right about the time you start to give up hope that the film is going to turn it up a notch, it does just that. All the story lines come crashing together like the waves of the changing tides. Our opinions and emotions take a spin as we quickly see new layers to the characters, and just like the tides, the ending leaves us- We’re not going to tell you the ending, go watch the film!

Overall, Chasing Valentine is a great film, even with the slow pace in the beginning. The writing, cinematography, and acting are all top notch and will leave you scratching your head thinking, “I thought this was an Indie Film?” Navin Ramaswaran the Writer/Director and all at Splice Films do a great job in showing the world that Indie filmmaking doesn’t have to be sloppy cuts, and cheesy acting. Check out their Facebook Page for information on where you can see it next!



No comments:

Post a Comment