A Quick Rambling- HELD

14 Apr

The first thing I need to say is this- I am damn proud of you, Jill. So… this whole post may be a little biased because Ms. Jill Awbrey is my favorite daughter, friend, and the little sis I never had. Damn proud of you, kid.

Now that that’s out of the way, I hate spoilers and will endeavor not to have any here- which is why I suck at reviews- but fair warning as there may be some things.

I had the opportunity to see a film recently, HELD, that was written by and starred my friend Jill Awbrey. Not gonna lie… I was excited. Known this kid since she was a kid and have always been excited to see what she’d do next. So to see her not just be in the film but have written it? Hell yes, I was in. (And I knew about it before it was even a movie, so you can guess how long I’ve been wanting to talk this…).

The short version is a couple needing to restart their marriage takes a weekend getaway at an amazing Air B&B style home. Things go awry. And after being stuck at home for a year, before going in, I had several thoughts in mind of how this film could go. I am not good at suspense films because having an education that I have and working where I work, I am pretty jaded and numb to things. So it was nice to still be trying to narrow down which way it was going to go as the film rolled into the last act.

I also admit to yelling at Emma (Jill’s character) multiple times because I know I taught my girl better than that! It’s ok, though, I only get bitchy when I’m into something.

I enjoyed the character development and the details in the story as they unfolded. Yes, it was one of the scenarios I thought of once the film started- but while it wasn’t a new concept, it was executed well. The relationship issues with the characters were palpable; noted y how often I wanted to give my girl a hug and smack the guy (I mean, the husband, Henry, is a decent guy… I’m sure… but that’s my friend)(I am not good at suspension of disbelief, I admit it). I also really want to find the house because it is gorgeous. And it’s local… I could totally do it…

I told you I suck at reviews.

Anyways, would I recommend the movie for a date night? Nope. For the family movie night? Nope. For just good ol’ movie viewing? Heck yeah. Give it a chance. Though it wasn’t made with a huge blockbuster budget, it feels big. And though it’s probably not made people you “know”, most of the films out there are unoriginal. It was nice to see something that kept me guessing. Give it a try- it might surprise you.