Concentric

Cinephreak Pictures

Web: http://www.cinephreakpictures.com/

Jake Bilinski is a young (mid 20s) independent film producer who already has a number of films under his belt. Unfortunately, some of them show his relative inexperience. Mime is a strange comedy about a mime who is put on trial for miming a murder. Somehow, it just didn’t work for me in spite of competent technical work. Foxxy Madonna is an attempt at a seventies style drama, and the less said the better. Concentric, however, shows where Bilinski’s talent lies.

The story revolves around three friends – the laid-back Brent (Bryan McKinley), his likeable but somewhat unstable pill-popping friend Zeke (Andrew Birnie), and Zeke’s girlfriend Lana (Lyndsey Anderson). Brent has a not-so-secret crush on Lana, but respects Zeke and Lana and remains best friends with both. Zeke is getting deeper into trouble with Daxx, the local drug supplier. He is starting to become erratic in his behaviour, and to treat Lana badly as the pressure increases on him.

Things turn really bad when a bag of money that Zeke was to use to pay off his supplier goes missing. He is desperate and starts to lose control, and confides in Brent that Lana has taken the money and is trying to kill him. Lana in turn tells Brent that Zeke has lost it completely, has bashed her, and is now out to kill her, believing that she has stolen the money. She packs a bag and leaves Zeke’s home with Brent for a safer place to stay. Zeke tracks them down and a confrontation follows. Brent must decide which one is lying to him, because it looks like he is going to have to kill one of them.

The film is not presented in this linear way, but rather as a set of flashbacks from Brent’s point of view. His flashbacks are interpreted according to what he knew at the time, and we follow him as he must work out who is lying to him and why. Because each segment is seen from his perspective at the time, they do not necessarily make linear sense – later events will clear up the confusion as the story unfolds.

The three actors play their roles well. I particularly liked Birnie as he shows the changes from carefree college student to drug dealer in deep trouble – not exactly a sympathetic character, but you can empathise with him as events get out of his control. Through it all, McKinley plays the steady anchor character as events change, until finally the test of his own character arrives. Lyndsey Anderson’s part should be difficult – why does her character put up with a boyfriend who increasingly treats her like dirt as his own world falls apart? She plays the part sympathetically and makes it believable as their relationship degrades.

Thomas Crane, who co-wrote the script, has produced a competent film on a limited budget. His rather stark camera work increases the tension and the minimalist low-budget look seems to enhance the final product. You can concentrate on the plotline rather than the backgrounds.

The film is a very good little dark suspense drama, and shows what can be done with a limited budget but competent skills. We are going to see a lot more of Bilinski’s work if he can keep up this standard.

Extras: Trailers, three deleted scenes, two alternate scenes, “A way-too-long outtake reel”.

This review will appear in Volume 2:1 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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