Milwood

USA 2013
produced by
Michelle Romano, Jimmy Scanlon, Don Tempesta, Evan Goldman, Gideon Stein, Duane Spagnuolo, Dan MacDonald, Gabriel Schmidt, Deborah Davis (executive), Steven Pisarra (executive), Charles Pointer (executive), Angela Calvert (executive), Andrea Karpati (executive), Nedy John Cross (executive), Ute Ehrenberg (executive), Nadia Yanni (executive), Kimberlee Mahnken (executiv), Kim Monique Pimentel (executive), Marc Rinsberg (executive), Rosemary Romano (executive) for Roman Media, Swimming Wings Productions
directed by Jimmy Scanlon, Evan Goldman
starring Christian Goodwin, Jimmy Scanlon, Michelle Romano, Don Tempesta, Trudi Goodman, Tiffany Shepis, Vinny Vella, Kevin Barbare, Kristi Barron, Michael Thurber, Stacey Poirier, Molly Bettencourt, Tristan Comeau, Sierra Preveza, Adam J. Freeman, Joshua Prevost, Karl Dorogy, Patrick Creedon, Ronald Murphy, David Allen Cruzl, Anthony Cogliandro, Lee Simmonds, Steve Somers, Tim Daly, Michael Cuoco, Joan Scanlon, Andrew Wynne, Brina, Jessica Duval
written by Jimmy Scanlon, music by Nedy John Cross, cinematography by Evan Goldman, edited by Sean Tretta

review by
Mike Haberfelner

As both his parents (Kevin Barbare, Kristi Barron) have died in a tragic car accident and he hasn't got any close relatives, Nathan (Christian Goodwin) is sent to the Milwood facility for young adults. It's still difficult for Nathan to deal with what has happened, and he finds it hard to adjust to the new surroundings ... so it's hardly surprising he gets into a fight the very first day - much to the dismay of the school's dean Mr Clemens (Jimmy Scanlon), who immediately puts him in detention and considers sending him to ward B from day one - and ward B is feared by all the students, as it houses those who are seen as problem childs, it's where the students are treated almost like prison inmates, and it's said to be haunted.

The only person between Nathan and ward B is actually guidance cousellor Judy (Michelle Romano), who takes an immediate liking in Nathan, becomes his friend within hours, and gets into his head enough to know he's not a problem child at all, just a disturbed little boy going through a tragic episode of his life. Judy does her best to keep Nathan out of harm's way, but she can't be everywhere all at once, and it's only a matter of time until he gets into trouble again, through no fault of his own. and as Mr Clemens has authority over Judy, he just moves the boy to ward B without her knowing, and when she complains too much she gets fired.

In ward B, Nathan is under constant observation, and it soon becomes clear to him that he's not just some prisoner here, there is something even more sinister going on. He tries to contact Judy about it, but she tells him she needs proof before she can help him ... and proof is what Nathan is trying to get - but he soon has to learn there's something much more sinister than he has even expected going on, and now Mr Clemens and his goons are after him.

Genre fave Tiffany Shepis is at her evilest as Nathan's private tutor.

Milwood is a film that takes its time to develop its story, starting out as a conventional story about a boy trying to cope with loss in an unfamiliar enviroment, and then slowly taking it's story towards the horror/thriller side of things - and that works extremely well this time around, as along its story build-up, the film also develops several interesting characters, and its refusal to give too much away too soon only adds to the tension and mystery of the whole thing. Add to this a subtle direction that fittingly choses atmosphere over spectacle and a very fine ensemble cast, and you are left with a really good movie!!!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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