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After the death of their childhood friend Bailey (Corbin Jones), Jess (Kiand Harris) and Quinn (Tyler Seiple) must come to terms with their guilt and regrets over the secrets they kept and the things they never said.
First, let me commend all those involved for a very polished, very professional looking film. I'll save my comments for the proper sections, but it's enough to say that from a visual and audio perspective, Separation Anxiety is an exceptionally well-made film.
Separation Anxiety is the story of three childhood friends in a small town. The main story begins after the death of one of the friends, Bailey. His death forces the other two friends, Jess and Quinn to come to terms with a secret they were keeping from Bailey and the regrets they feel over the choices they've made.
Three separate storylines play out as the film progresses. First, we have the story of Quinn, who finds himself grounded at the airport, unable to get home for his friend's funeral. While in the airport, he meets Lily (Polly Adams), an older woman with a sympathetic ear. The second storyline involves Jess and Mr. Palmer (John Wesley Shipp), Bailey's father. Most of this story takes place in the kitchen of Mr. Palmer's home as the grieving father and friend sort out their feelings over how Bailey really died. The third line is comprised of flashbacks that show the three friends at various times in the past, giving us a glimpse of the good and rough times they've experienced together.
Each of these storylines on their own could have made an interesting short film, but, as a feature, they never come together for the purposes of the greater story arc. That's the real problem. There is no specific story arc. Is the story about answering the question: why (or how) did Bailey die? Is it about Jess and Quinn reconciling their feelings of guilt for hiding a sexual relationship between each other from Bailey? Is it about a sad young man who doesn't believe in himself and thus takes his own life? Is it about a father coming to terms with the death of his only child?
Well, it's trying to be all these things and in the end never quite answers any of those questions. I assume the filmmakers were attempting to examine how different people deal with grief, guilt, and regret by using multiple characters. This ensemble cast approach can work. One classic example is the similarly-themed The Big Chill (1983) written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. But in Kasdan's film, the characters are together throughout the film and the story is told in a more traditional, chronologically straight forward manner.
This is an important distinction. Because the timelines, locations, and characters are constantly shifting, we never become emotionally engaged in the story. This is essential, especially in a movie where the central theme is about coping with grief in the face of sudden loss. Say, for instance, the story had been about Jess, we could have seen her dealing with the conflict of loving two men, but being torn about whom she loves. Or if it had been Quinn's story, his guilt and regret over his choices could have created some interesting, relatable character moments.
Another problem is that we never really see Mr. Palmer and Bailey together, except in one flashback (that is well done by the way), but this scene involves other characters and is very brief. We never get a sense of their relationship other than what we are told. We never see it. And this issue permeates Separation Anxiety. Characters talk about their feelings, but not a lot is shown. Rather than subtext, we get emotionally specific analysis. Most of the dialogue is too "on the nose" and insightful, never ringing true.
One scene, however, really stood out from the rest and seemed to show the potential of the story had it stayed with one storyline long enough to develop some emotional resonance. The scene in question is a flashback and involves Jess and Bailey. It's Halloween night and Quinn is off in the big city. Bailey has gotten a letter from an art school he applied to, but he's not opened it yet. He wants Jess to open it for him, and she gently scolds him for assuming he didn't get in, going so far as telling him how much she's going to make fun of him once she reads the letter and proves he got in. He tells her he's "not that guy" and that he can't have "that life".
As Jess reads the letter, her eyes gloss over. We catch a glimpse of the letter and the words "We're sorry to inform you". Few words are spoken, but Bailey asks Jess to "lie to him" and to "let me be that guy… just for tonight." Then he curls up next to her, crying softly. It is a tender, sad, and touching scene. Beautifully played by the actors and subtly shot, lit, and edited. Everything worked. Perhaps, had this relationship (or the flashbacks themselves) been the focal point of the film it might have worked better. As it stands, the film feels more like a series of vignettes, loosely connected by the flashbacks.
Outside of the technical achievements, the acting in Separation Anxiety is the strongest element. Specifically, John Wesley Shipp (Dawson's Creek), who plays Bailey's father, conveys real grief over the loss of his son. He shows a gentleness with Jess, even when he's wounded by her words. Despite having no scenes with Corin Jones (Bailey), he really sells the relationship and the loss.
Although Bailey was a bit off-putting at first, Jones showed real potential, especially in the Halloween scene with Jess. He possesses a certain "sad sack," neurotic quality reminiscent of David Schwimmer. The rest of the cast, including Kiana Harris, Tyler Seiple, and Polly Adams were believable and did their best despite some of the dialogue problems I mentioned earlier.
Separation Anxiety is beautifully shot. The lighting's even throughout. During night scenes, even exterior ones, there is no discernible noise, or graininess. The angles used fit the story, and the camerawork was rock steady. The film was shot using a Panasonic HVX200 and the images are sharp. An M2 Redrock DOF lens adapter was used to create a shallow depth of field for some shots. And although the focus was a bit softer than it should be for a couple shots, this can be chocked up to an artistic choice, and never became a distraction.
The editing and pacing are tight and confident. And despite the varying storylines, the scenes and shots themselves are allowed to unfold at a reasonable pace. This movie does not feature the clichéd "MTV"-style editing in every scene, which wouldn't work for this material anyway. But rather the scenes are shot with good coverage, allowing the moments to play out between characters rather than excessive over-editing.
On par with the visuals in Separation Anxiety, the audio quality is superb. I never noticed any excessive background noise, any hissing, or any drop outs. For example, many filmmakers do not properly mix the dialogue, ambient sound, sound effects, and music, or, Ben Burt forbid, they record audio using the on-camera mic. This results in an "audible shift," such as when we cut from one shot to the next and the audio's tone increases, decreases, or drops out altogether. This can result in a jarring and distracting cinematic experience and filmmakers who do this should consider that audio is at least 50% of movie-going experience.
Regardless, Separation Anxiety does not suffer from this malady. Rather, the dialogue is recorded cleanly, the sound effects are even and used throughout, adding to the film's audio texture, and the mix and levels are well balanced.
Additionally, the film's score never distracts and is effective during the scenes when it is used. Much like editing, the best scores have an effect on us without us realizing it at the time. Composer Jake Coco did a great job of emphasizing the emotional states of the characters in a given scene. This is especially true of the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but despite some moments of post-viewing disbelief, while the scene plays out, the musical score keeps the emotions engaged, even while the logic wolf was huffing and puffing at the front door.
[Editor's Note: While our cut-off for normal critique is $30K, we do have our Special Critiques section which is designed for films that are at a higher budget, but still easily fall into low-budget filmmaking and represent an attempt to push the envelope of filmmaking boundaries. –JH]
Not much to say here other than the budget was used effectively. From a technical perspective, Separation Anxiety is darn near flawless. And while the filmmaker's spent money on items like an HVX200, a Redrock lens adapter, dolly slider, and a jib crane, none of that would matter if they didn't know how to use the tools properly.
The filmmaker's also made the smart move of spending some of their budget on good sound equipment, including Sennheiser lavaliers, Scheops MK60, and an Edirol R4 Pro 4-channel mixer. Jordan Fehr (sound designer) and Matt Oliva (sound mixer) get extra points for the great work they've done here. If it's been said once here at MFM, it's been said a million times, but great sound is one of the (if not THE) most crucial elements when making a film. It's not the area to skimp on and if given the choice between higher quality image or sound, go with sound! Audiences will watch a movie with less than average visuals, but if the audio is subpar, you'll lose them every time.
Lastly, money was wisely spent on casting professional actors. This is another area where many filmmakers try to save money, often casting their family and friends in pivotal roles. And while this can occasionally work if your family and/or friends are very talented, usually the performances come off as wooden and distracting. Additionally, casting John Wesley Shipp (Mr. Palmer) was a great move because not only is he a great actor, but he's recognizable to audiences from his roles in television shows like The Flash, Dawson's Creek, and One Life to Live.
Separation Anxiety is technically proficient and a good example of what to do right when it comes to making a movie from a technical point of view. However, the lack of focus in the story and "on the nose" dialogue never allows the viewer to become immersed in the lives of the main characters. For a movie to have "lasting appeal," it needs to resonate with an audience. And while there are some powerful individual moments (like the Halloween scene, the church scene, the final moments between Mr. Palmer and Jess, etc.), the whole doesn't equal the sum of its parts.
I think Separation Anxiety shows that the folks at Glass City Films are very proficient technical filmmakers. However, I also think story is an essential element; in fact, I believe it's the most important element, and for me that's where Separation Anxiety fell short. The problem came down to the script's structure. There's no one main character and, therefore, no one for the audience to clearly connect with on an emotional level.
If the desire was to give each character's point of view equal weight, then breaking the film into three clearly defined shorts, each connected to the main storyline of losing a friend and the themes of grief, loss, regret, etc., would have worked better. In fact, that's what Separation Anxiety felt like, three short films existing in the same universe, but never quite reaching emotional resonance. If each story had been allowed to play out, rather than being cut off "mid-sentence," I think the emotional impact could have been greater.
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Content |
5.5 |
Visual
Look |
9.5 |
Use
of Audio |
9.5 |
Use
of Budget |
9.2 |
Lasting
Appeal |
6.3 |
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8.0 |
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Joel G. Robertson co-wrote and directed the feature The Whole Town Is Sleeping and has made numerous shorts, including Shadows of the Dead, a winner of Fangoria's First Blood Drive competition. He also runs the site Forgotten Flix, which is dedicated to championing movies, both old and new, that deserve more attention. |
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