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The Hollow
USA 2016
produced by Miles Doleac, Ryan H. Jackson, Mackenzie Westmoreland, Lisa Bruce (executive) for Historia Films
directed by Miles Doleac
starring James Callis, Miles Doleac, Christiane Seidel, William Sadler, David Warshofsky, Joseph VanZandt, Lindsay Anne Williams, Jeff Fahey, William Forsythe, Garrett Hines, Sherri Eakin, Portia Walls, Escalante Lundy, Candice Michele Barley, Jana Allen, Jim Gleason, Kelly Lind, Ted Ferguson, Michael Randall, Jackson Beals, Justin M. Boyd, Macey DePaula, Sara Minerd, Dalton Russell, Gayla Marie de Guise, J.R. Rowell, Kaleb Benedict
written by Miles Doleac, music by Clifton Hyde
review by Mike Haberfelner
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A small rural village in the Deep South, USA, a place where the
superficial faith of the mainstream populace and its quasi-prohibition is
meant to gloss over the place's rising drug problem that even law
enforcement is involved in. But then Kami (Portia Walls) is murdered, a
promiscuous yet underage high school student, which isn't exactly very
good for the local peace to begin with, but unfortunately a couple who had
only witnessed the murder also had to die, and one of them was the
daughter of a mighty senator (Jim Gleason), so in comes the FBI, stirring
things up in the village. Thing is, everybody seems to have their fingers
in the murder somehow, be it the rogue deputy Ray (Miles Doleac),
"Big" John (William Forsythe), the town's mightiest landowner
who acts as if he owns the town because to a point he does, or the local
high school's principal (David Warshofsky), who just liked to spank Kami's
backside in an erotic sort of way in exchange for good grades - and there
are probably dozens others as well ... Thing is, the FBI agents on the
case, Vaughn (James Callis) and Sarah (Christiane Seidel) aren't totally
issue-free themselves, as they've once been a couple and Vaughn seems to
be losing his fight against alcoholism, and they are met with disdain by
the locals, even if they have come to help. So what was once a peaceful,
sleepy little village soon becomes a powder keg ... William Sadler plays
the local sheriff who tries (but mostly fails) to restore order while Jeff
Fahey plays the rogue deputy's rogue-ish father. A very
interesting murder mystery where the whodunnit aspect actually takes
backseat behind a Deep South saga, with its hypocrisy, its mock
Christianity that only hides its belief in money and fear of progress, and
its latent propensity to violence - but not in a speculative or
sensationalist way, as this film refrains from generalizing or just
dishing out clichées, it rather tells a multi-layered tale where all the
different pieces work well together thanks to a well-structured and
thought-through script, a rich and atmospheric yet subtle cinematic
language, and a very competent ensemble cast. Totally worth a watch!
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