Into The Wake
A Diesel Brothers Creation
Directed & Edited by John Mossman
Written by Tim Miller & John Mossman
Beautifully shot and expertly edited mystery-thriller an impressive Independent feature film
I am not as familiar with the thriving independent film scene in Chicago as I should be but when John Mossman, one of the founders of The Artistic Home Theatre Company and famed stage actor and stage director asked me to review his film, I was intrigued, so agreed. I ventured to the Gene Siskel Ceneter to see In The Wake, a 78 minute tightly wound psychological thriller.
I was impressed by the creative and craft of the Mossman/Miller film. In The Wake is a memory film that utilizes the main elements that distinguish film from other art forms. The cinematography was thrilling with a fine blend of panorama shots with thrilling chase footage with telling close ups. Add Mossman’s tight editing and the expert use of music and underscoring to elicit and enhance the mood and In The Wake plays as a heart-pounding mystery thriller that keep you on the edge of your seat.
The story is a cleverly plotted and finely written memory/nightmare piece that contains a fine flowing use of flashback to recall Kyle’s (Tim Miller) past witness to a horrible crime that fuels a two family feud in Sauk County, Wisconsin near Baraboo. The river and forest scenes were stunning as Mossman’s eye for location adds an ominous tone to the action mystery. After we see how Kyle has been affected even after twenty years later that has him haunted and deeply troubled as he becomes an orphan to the world and after he loves an another orphan (Kristin A. Anderson), a strange phone call rattles his world as it sends him back to Sauk County. The action unfolds in a series of wonderfully shot and expertly acted scenes that will surprise you as they unfold.
Tim Miller was outstanding as the life-long suffer from the traumatic event he witnessed as a youth. We empathize with his trouble and we wish him to tame the beast of the family bent on revenge as they demand to know where their son is buried in on the river’s island. The ending will surprise you as it unfolds. We fill the pain of each of the participants as they play out the feud with kidnapping and extreme violence . In The Wake is a thrilling and visually fabulous film that is completer with terrific acting, fine editing and a smartly crafted story. I’m quickly becoming a fan of Chicago’s Independent film scene. John Mossman and Tim Miller are talented film makers with a fine future. HBO and Netflix need to feature In The Wake -it’s that good!
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Date Reviewed: July 24, 2012