Did you people see the same film I saw?

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is quite possibly the worst film I've ever seen. The visual appeal and the attention paid to the technical aspects of filmmaking by the director were not sufficient to overcome the poor storytelling and unlikable, if not downright hateworthy, characters. This is a movie that thinks far too much of itself and presents a specific point of view in the most ham-handed of ways. We are to believe that the "protagonist's" endless stream of poor choices, which include murdering her son's pet pig, are merely the best she can do with what she has. The only saving grace of her act of porcicide is that the poor animal would have eventually met a brutal demise at the hands of the reprehensible monster to which she gave birth. It is never really clear how much the marijuana brownies factor into the child's behavior, but it doesn't matter. Regardless of the driving forces behind the son's destructive and murderous rampages I could not bring myself to sympathize with him. I sympathized with his mother much less. The director would have us believe that the mother and son are the good guys, while men are completely patronizing jerks who are unreliable and will only disappoint you and traditional medicine is a pharmacentric racket that is perfectly fine with making zombies of children. I feel for those who can relate or empathize with the supposed heroine because of their own life experiences. They are the only audience who can possibly find any redeeming value in this film.Everyone else should steer clear.

It's always refreshing to find a hidden gem in life. Sometimes it's something as simple as finding a $1 bill in your pants pocket before doing the laundry or a nice bottle of beer in the back of the refrigerator you had forgot was there. However finding a great movie that you didn't know existed is one of the great pleasures in life and that's how I feel about the film Flutter.The story follows a young mother named JoLynn (played by Lindsay Pulsipher) who is raising her son who loves his pet pig, Wee Wee and fighting imaginary Sea Monsters. Johnathan (played by Johnathan Huth Jr), the son, has nystagmus, which makes his eyes "flutter." He also suffers from severe narrow angle glaucoma; an acute condition that if untreated can lead to permanent blindness. JoLynn has to battle poverty, her absence musician husband, and the threat of Johanthan being taken away by the state all while trying to do what she thinks is best for her and her son.For this film to truly work you need a strong actress in the lead role, especially a mom who skips conventional medicine and gives her son pot brownies to battle her son's glaucoma. She also makes several decisions along the way that conventional society would frown upon. Lindsay Pulsipher is that strong actress and creates a character that is vulnerable, deeply felt, and enduring. Also her interaction with Johnathan Huth Jr is truly heartfelt and feels like they could actually be mother and son. The amazing thing is that this is Johnathan's first film role and I never would have known that without talking to Glenn Morshower while doing press for the film.Glenn Morshower plays JoLynn's father-in-law Mark and he might be the heart of the entire film. Mark is a man who is stuck between his wife and his daughter-in-law, also while trying to do what's best for his Grandson. The scenes between Glenn and Lindsay are also a highlight to the film and showcase what both great actors they are in this film.The great thing about independent film is that there are no rules that can be followed. There is no guarantee that the lead actor/actress will make it out of the film alive. There is no guarantee that there will be a happy ending. There are no guarantees at all and that kind of film making excites me as a viewer.I haven't even mentioned the cast of actors in this film, which include Charles Baker (Breaking Bad), Charles Halford (True Detective), and Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad). All shine in this film and make this movie worth your time. Writer/director Eric Hueber says the story line for Flutter was inspired by his own mom, who was only 19 when he was born and died in 2010. Kudos to him for bringing part of his personal life on screen and making it an amazing experience.

I really thought I would like this movie, but I didn't. The mother and son characters are very unlikable. Each had his own challenges and I kept waiting for them to start to overcome them. Lordy. Painful to watch a terrible, lazy, inept mother raise a completely thoughtless, undisciplined son. Just because you're poor doesn't have to mean you're filthy and stupid. Where was this mother's effort to earn money in a meaningful way. Or to raise a child in a happy but at least minimally structured way? Utter fail. Very little redeeming values to the characters. I thought this was supposed to be about a strong mother? Don't bother with this one. It will leave you frustrated.

In my opinion we are in an age where filmmakers and artists in general take the minimalist approach too far, leaving us to want more. This movie is not afraid to make you feel. It takes you through a span of emotion that never feels disingenuous. It lets you laugh, cry and most importantly, dream. The story is genuinely hilarious at times and completely heart wrenching at others. Perhaps my favorite aspect, was that scenes of a very real and gritty human experience are interwoven with beautiful surreal imagery that is at times even psychedelic. This is done seamlessly, just as life is when seen through the eyes of a child. Flutter entertains and let's us escape. That is after all what art was meant to do.