the audience applauded

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Beautiful, moving film.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

An autobiographical film from Ari Gold that deals with the death of his mother in a helicopter crash when he was young. The film flashes between an animated recount of what happened, a real life replay of the day at Golden Gate park and phone messages between Ari and his dead mother. It is a very personal film that is interesting but somehow manages to have surprisingly little heart in it considering what it is.The animation is good in how it is used but the majority of the film is live-action and it is here that it is unfortunately let down. In regards recreation I'm sure it is good but I didn't find myself drawn into it and involved as I wanted to be. The events such as the cockroach moment and the prayer mat issue lack resonance – I'm sure to Ari that these were painful reality but they don't work here, lacking the genuine emotion that they must have had to Gold first time round. This is not to say it doesn't work at all, because it does. There is an overall sense of loss and pain that I thought worked; it is helped by the good use of music to support this atmosphere.The acting is mostly good but they all do come over like they are acting rather than genuinely feeling. It is a harsh criticism but throughout the film I could not shake off the longing that it was just that little bit more "real". Interesting enough and undoubtedly worthy for how personal it is, but it fell a bit short of the mark for what I wanted.

I started receiving the Sundance Channel and saw this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking little movie. What luck! Mr. Gold is a talent to watch. I have ordered his movies on his website, to show to my family. We have had a loss in the family and this film speaks better than my words do. Thank you.

I saw this film on LowFiVideo's show late one night and I have seen it now four times. It changed my life. I lost my father last year and to see somebody capture the feeling of loss so well has made me want to study film. this movie is incredible.

This was a clever piece. The combinations of live action, animation, and models were original and amusing. This short piece is an excellent introduction to a young director with much creative potential. I look forward to seeing more work from this director.