Note to all you first time filmmakers that embark on the journey of making a low budget horror or thriller film – 'Keep it Simple'.If only more directors without much funding would take this to heed we would get more films like Long Pigs and Sympathy and less like The Landlord and Dead Noon.This was not lost on director Andrew Moorman who took a smart thriller by writer Arik Martin and turned it into a very competent and highly entertaining film called Sympathy.The beauty of the film is in its simplicity. The story has but three characters and all takes place in a motel room. That is where a suggested bank robber named Tripp (Steven Pritchard) brings his hostage Sara (Marina Shtelen) and handcuffs her to the bed. While trying to formulate an escape plan, Tripp's getaway is interrupted by Dennis (Aaron Boucher), an escaped convict who coincidentally end up in the same room with multiple agendas.In a film style that clearly pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock and Brain DePalma, the three characters will spend an evening revealing depths of their personalities while setting in motion an intense cat-and-mouse game convoluted with bulging egos and personal motivations.To further obstruct a clean getaway, characters will be shot, stabbed and emotionally tormented as the story unfolds revealing characters that are not whom they appear to be. The final chapters will include a blood soaked ending that will remind you of an early Tarantino work and a satisfying end to an evening's odyssey.Kudos to director Andrew Moorman for not trying to squeeze more out of the intelligent script than what was pressed onto the straight to DVD release. His directing was able to hide from this seasoned reviewer a reveal that I didn't see coming (granted it wasn't M. Night-ish, but it still generated a 'wow' response).When producing a movie with one setting and limited characters, it is important to have strong acting to accompany the script pages or all is lost. Pritchard, Shtelen and Boucher put on believable performances even if the acting is at times uneven. Shtelen in particular starts off weak, but by the end of the film, she plays the role of Sara with a seasoned confidence.Revealing any specifics would be an injustice to anyone who follows this review with a screening, but as low budget, independent films go, this one ranks in the top tier.www.killerreviews.com

I discovered this movie while building the schedule for my new film festival. Now called Maelstrom Festival of Horror and the Fantastic. It was so well received at the screening that I am bringing it back for Crypticon Seattle. It will play at 11:00pm Friday night the 23rd of May.This is a film worth checking out. If you spend any time looking at small indie films you will appreciate "Sympathy". Powerful and compelling find it and watch it.People stuck in a room after a heist. What are they doing in the hotel room and who is really calling the shots?

Wow, I saw Sympathy in Indy at the Horror Hound weekend. It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Arik Martin's sterling screenplay is a powerful example of how writing is always the bedrock for any movies success. I consider myself somewhat of an expert at guessing the plot lines and figuring out the endings long before the movie is half over. Not this time though, Arik Martin's skill at storytelling was always two steps ahead and kept me at the edge of my seat. Just as I thought I had Sympathy figured it made a sharp turn and then made another and another until I was just left agog. For the first time in a long time I gave up thinking about the direction and the destination and just let this magnificent movie overwhelm my sense's. The three actors were fantastic and so believable that I felt I was in the room with them. The director did a great job with the actors and the action. They all get high fives for interpreting the screenplay and giving us such a fantastic movie. A big congrats to all.

I just finished watching a screener DVD of Sympathy and I was left floored. I grew up a couple of houses down from director Andrew Moorman, so I was anxious to see what a kid from my hometown could do if he were given a chance to break away from a small berg in Ohio.Wow. Just... wow. This is a chilling and often disturbing character study that could have easily been nothing more than a bad student film. But thanks to Moorman's eye for excellent photography and ability to direct his actors, Arik Martin's riveting script and the cast's brutal, naked honesty in their portrayals, this film stands among the best first efforts from any director. If you liked Reservoir Dogs, you'll love Sympathy.Sympathy is Hitchcock's Rope for the 21st century. The entire movie is shot in one hotel room and has only three actors. The story grows deliciously claustrophobic as the trio continues to chew and gnaw at each other's psyches, culminating into some "Holy sh*t!" moments later in the film. Again, the story is sharp, witty and holds the audience's attention. But what impressed me the most was Moorman's use of a seemingly endless amount of shots that kept the claustrophobic setting alive. Where Hitchcock used protracted, contemplative photography in Rope, Moorman edited his film so that it was a rusty shiv constantly swiping at the audience until the end when it severs the Jugular.The only complaint that I can register for Sympathy is a matter of logic that comes up late in the film. I cannot go into more detail without spoiling the ending. However, the rest of the film is so solid that I am willing to overlook it.Watch out for Andrew Moorman because if Sympathy is any indication, he is ready to take on Hollywood. Do yourself a favor and go out of your way to see this film. Because when Moorman is making successful, critically acclaimed films in the coming years, you can brag to your friends that you were a fan of Moorman's before he was famous.