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Elsewhere, NY (Review)

This is a rather interesting movie that details a day among four people in New York. Filmed guerrilla style on the streets of NY, this is very similar to most journey movies, detailing a day in the life of someone.

First our protagonist Jen (Gillian Leigh Visco) shows up around Grand Central Station. After an all-day journey to her new home only to find that her friend Christine (Fiona Graham) is not home but still at work, Jen instead spends her night with a bartender named Todd (Andrew Ruth). The next morning she makes it back to Chris’s place. Then we cut to two years later as Jen and Christine meet Jen’s boyfriend Ethan (Andrew Leland Rogers) who’s hosting his art show. One night, Ethan introduces Jen to his new roommate, guess who… Todd. Things can only get slightly climactic from there for him.

Since this is filmed in a style that consisted of a camera without sticks (film term for tripod) a small number of the shots are unstable as well as not quite set up neatly. At times a closeup of someone is at a somewhat awkward cropping stage. However, playing with the natural light, depending on what time of the day or night it is, is done exceptionally well. The instability also gives you a bit more of that feeling that you’re actually there. I also have to note the blurriness in some shots adds an artistic feel while the characters stay in focus.

This whole movie was filmed entirely by only two people, a director and a camera operator. The story was pretty interesting itself, showing what it’s like to recall something from years back as it slowly builds up. It’s also nice to show that Jen isn’t always the main focus as we bring up the subjects of Ethan and Todd living their lives. The film also takes some time to focus on other city residents and even do an occasional time-lapse.

It’s one of the finest films I’ve seen this year. Impressive and spectacular, much like the last film I saw by Jeffrey P. Nesker.

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