Summary: Nineteen year old Monica awakens after a devastating car crash, only to discover she is now thirty-eight, she has spent almost two decades in a coma, and life moved on without her.
Review: Admittedly, this is not a go-to film for me. In my limited time I will typically seek out a speculative film that I've missed over the last two years.
Leaving Limbo is great, though.
It's a micro-budget film. The screenplay is based off a stage play, which means the entire film is character driven. Give me a film like this over a million exploding space aliens any day. (Or the latest Left Behind offering.) Because of the limitations of the budget, the characters must become central, and they really do in Leaving Limbo. I cared about most of them, and wanted to follow their journeys.
The film is not perfect, though. Some of the comedic beats were off just enough to rob the scenes of the intended humor. The opening "back in the 80's" scenes did their best to "de-age" the actors, but the lack of budget shows clearly here. And while I found the Christian themes to be well inserted into the story, there were a couple of impromptu Bible studies between Monica's dad and niece that just felt painfully forced.
Other than these issue, the film is quite wonderful. Most of the acting, particularly by Mandy Brown, is top notch. The musical score fits nicely into the film. It neither underwhelms, nor forces itself into the narrative. The music simply heightens the emotion of the film, as any good score should.
The story itself has some predictable elements, but also has some twists and turns to keep the audience guessing.
Overall, I liked this film and I'm happy to support it.
We need more character driven films like this.
We need more Christian-themed films that explore the quiet but painful moments in life.
Rating: 4/5 (I Really Liked It)
Find out more about the film here.
Review: Admittedly, this is not a go-to film for me. In my limited time I will typically seek out a speculative film that I've missed over the last two years.
Leaving Limbo is great, though.
It's a micro-budget film. The screenplay is based off a stage play, which means the entire film is character driven. Give me a film like this over a million exploding space aliens any day. (Or the latest Left Behind offering.) Because of the limitations of the budget, the characters must become central, and they really do in Leaving Limbo. I cared about most of them, and wanted to follow their journeys.
The film is not perfect, though. Some of the comedic beats were off just enough to rob the scenes of the intended humor. The opening "back in the 80's" scenes did their best to "de-age" the actors, but the lack of budget shows clearly here. And while I found the Christian themes to be well inserted into the story, there were a couple of impromptu Bible studies between Monica's dad and niece that just felt painfully forced.
Other than these issue, the film is quite wonderful. Most of the acting, particularly by Mandy Brown, is top notch. The musical score fits nicely into the film. It neither underwhelms, nor forces itself into the narrative. The music simply heightens the emotion of the film, as any good score should.
The story itself has some predictable elements, but also has some twists and turns to keep the audience guessing.
Overall, I liked this film and I'm happy to support it.
We need more character driven films like this.
We need more Christian-themed films that explore the quiet but painful moments in life.
Rating: 4/5 (I Really Liked It)
Find out more about the film here.
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