Blue Ruin

The movie industry today is very hard. Even if a great motion picture is made, do not expect that it will get promotion, screenings or help from a major studio. Especially smaller films, just a few get lucky and find an audience, while many become forgotten, or get a release date, but very few go and watch the film. Thankfully there are way for fans of independent films to help support film makers, like Kickstarter. I have helped 4 films over the years, by giving an amount of money to support new films being made. Blue Ruin is an example, of a movie that was made, thanks to fans through Kickstarter. Film maker Jeremy Sauliner managed to get enough money to finish Blue Ruin, and ever since the premiere at Cannes Film Festival in 2013, critics praised this small film, and Blue Ruin also won an award, the FRIPRESCI prize. I love independent films, and when i hear of new releases i try and check them out. Is Blue Ruin a powerful motion picture that deserves all the praise, or is this not as good as i hoped it would be ?

Homeless and on the run, Dwight ( Macon Blair ) try and find new places to stay, while he is trying to survive. A police officer find Dwight, and inform him that Wade Cleland have been released from prison. Wade was responsible behind the killing of Dwights parents, so when Dwight find out he will be released, he try to figure out a way to kill him. Dwight manage to enter the Cleland Gang clubhouse, where he brutally murder Wade with a knife in the bathroom. As Dwight go outside, he steals Wade´s limousine, but do not know that Wade´s son is in the limousine. He stops the car, and let him out. Confused of what he just did, he goes to see his sister Sam Evans ( Amy Hargreaves ), and tell her that he murdered Wade. She feel that he deserved to be killed, and only support her brother. Sam let her brother stay at her house, while she is off to work. That same night, members of Cleland Gang, visit the house to kill Dwight. He survives, as he manage to take one of the members as hostage, and lock him in the trunk. But Dwight is badly injured, by one of the gang members, and manage to find a hospital. He wakes up in a hospital bed, as his leg is fixed, but decide to escape. Now he will finish what he started, and make the Cleland family pay the prize of revenge.

I am so thankful that Kickstarter can make it possible to help films, like Blue Ruin, to be released. This is a very strong and emotional motion picture, about making choices in life, and facing consequences. The budget is very limited, but director Jeremy Sauliner use very small details to make Blue Ruin look really good. One of the most important details, is that the characters feel very realistic. And this is one of the reasons why i love Blue Ruin, this could be you, or someone else in your family going through the same destiny. Macon Blair in the lead role, is absolutely splendid, he really shows human emotions, in a life of someone who lost it all. Some scenes look really beautiful, while you follow Dwight on his road trip, trying to revenge the killers of his dead parents. Another positive detail is that this is not a typical revenge thriller drama, there is actually a very smart plot behind the curtain. I feel that there are influences from The Coen Brothers, or maybe even some David Lynch, but this is still original enough to deliver a powerful motion picture. A few weeks ago i praised Enemy, with Jake Gyllenhaal, to be one of the best films this year. After watching Blue Ruin, i have to say that this one is also in the top with Enemy, this year is looking good so far, when it comes to quality independent films.

Rating: DDDD