Faults

Does the name Jon Gries sound familiar ?

Of course it does. But if you say no, i think we need to have a talk. Do you remember the cult classic film Napoleon Dynamite ? I hope everyone have seen it by now, it is one of those films that you have to see, or you will never die happy. Jon Gries was of course Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite, the uncle who wish he would have been a big football star, but is a salesman instead. Jon Gries made Uncle Rico so unique, you just have to love his style, and his personality. What many people may not know, is that Jon Gries have done several films over the years. Did you know that he was actually one of the werewolves in Fright Night Part 2 ? But let us take a look at some of his more serious work. He have been in all Taken films with Liam Neeson, as the character Casey. He have also been in a very good in a low budget horror film called Skinwalker Ranch. Another film i have not seen yet, but heard that it is good, is a film called Bad Turn Worse, where Jon Gries also is included in the cast. I know that he is in the new thriller Falsely Accused, with Rosanna Arquette, that´s coming out in 2016. So we will definetely see him again, on different projects. Even if he seems to work more on independent films these days, i can´t help to be curious to see what he will do next. I came across the film Faults, while reading on South by Southwest ( SXSW ) Festival. I would never have known about the film, unless i would have read what films would be shown on the festival. It took some time before i could see the film, since it is only released on dvd in USA so far. Some independent films are hard to get, and i like to take on challenges, especially on films that are not screened almost nowhere. And this is where i came across Faults, an independet film that seemed to have an interesting plot. I managed myself to get a copy online, since i try and support indepenent film makers. With a great lead actor, Jon Gries, in the cast, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who have done many really good performances, is Faults surprisingly good, or did the trailer promise too much and left us disappointed ?

Ansel Roth ( Jon Gries ), is a writer and cult specialist, who tries to make money on his fake career. Since he refuse to play for his meal, at the hotel he is staying at, he is forced to be kicked out. At this hotel, he is already booked to hold a presentation on cults. As he beings his presentation, he is inturrupted by one of his previous customers, who says that Ansel killed his mother, and did not help her at all from the cult church she left. Ansel have no money, and his manager Terry ( Leland Orser ) threaten that he have to pay him the rest of his debt in one week, or he will be in serious trouble. As he packs his stuff, from the failed presentation, an old couple comes forward to ask for his help. Paul ( Chris Ellis ) and his wife Evelyn ( Beth Grant ) are worried about their daughter Claire ( Mary Elizabeth Winstead ). She is trapped inside a cult church, and her parents are worried that she might be in trouble. Since Ansel is broke, and need money to pay his manager Terry, he accept the mission to try and help Claire out of the cult. He arrange a kidnapping of Claire, and take her to a motel. Here he begins his sessions, to try and make Claire understand that her parents want her back. Is she really brainwashed, or is there another side of this story ?

I was supposed to see Faults earlier this year, but ended up seeing it very late. But to be honest, i am glad i saved this film as my final review of this year. Faulst is an intelligent film, with different perspectives when it comes to scam artists. We have the main person, Ansel Rost, really well acted by Jon Gries, who is an scam artist. He belive he is helping people to leave religious cult organisations, but is he really doing that ? Is he professional at all, or have any skills in this area ? You could say that Ansel could have been a pastor in a religious cult, or in a very strict church. He belive that he knows exactly what to do, when he clearly have no structure to make his image work. And that is also typical cult leaders, they manage to find people who belive in them, until the day comes that everything falls apart. The kidnapped girl Claire, is played by actor Mary Elizabeth Winstead , and she does her character in an honest way. How would you feel being taken away from a cult, where you feel is your home ? She is actually one of the producers of Faulst, and that is an interesting detail. The most interesting view in this film, is if Claire really is brainwashed, or is her parents the ones who are insane ? You have to ask yourself that question, because once you see certain details in the parents behavior, you understand perhaps why Claire left. Director Riley Sterns have directed short films in the past, and Faults is his directorial debut. I have to say, for his first full feature film, he have managed to make this a good debut. We have interesting characters, great performances, and influences from The Coen Brothers included. I am looking forward to see if he will direct another feature film in the future, Faults proves that he knows how to make an independent film. If you don´t like a mixture of black comedy, religious issues and odd personalities, i have a feeling that you won´t enjoy this, However, if you do like the sound of this mixture, i suggest you get yourself a dvd copy, because Faults is not easy to find in video stores. This way you also support indepenent film makers, and i feel that they deserve to be recognized for their work. Faults is an odd film, but i enjoy the concept of the film, including the wonderful performance of lead actor Jon Gries. Remember people, avoid religious cults, just see what happened with FLDS and Warren Jeffs, people need to wake up and learn who the real God is, i am talking about Dolph Lundgren of course. A holy man who both kicks ass, and say brilliant dialogue, what more could we ask for ?

Rating: DDD