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Somewhere int he middle of nowhere, USA: When he was 18 and she was 12,
Malachi (Shane Ryan) and Echo (Kai Lanette) were in a relationship - but
while they genuinely loved each other, their relationship was not of a
sexual nature ... and yet, he was accused and convicted of pedophilia and
sent to jail - which left not only him heartbroken but also Echo. When
Echo waas 15, she was gangraped, and impregnated in the process, but when
her father (Rob Dale) found out, he just threw her out onto the street
because he didn't want to go through all the same shit again he had gone
through during the pedophilia trial. Having to live on her own at age 15
with no source of income, Echo soon runs out of friends who at least
supply her with a roof over her head, and so she finds herself forced to
sleep under bridges and become a(n underaged) prostitute to make ends
meet. Echo is now 18, and after 6 years, Malachi is finally released -
and she has waited all this time. Thanks to none other than Malachi's
blind mother (Molly Wryn), Echo has now a roof over her head and a car
Malachi's mother has bought her to drive her around. After 6 years though,
Malachi finds it hard to adjust to life outside of jail, and though he is
welcomed back into an intact home by Eco and his mother, he seems to be at
odds with pretty much everything - and finally is broken when he finds
posters bearing his mug and the words "Warning!!! Pedophile
released" and is subsequently violently attacked by a neighbour.
Malachi decides to simply run away, but Echo is not willing to give up on
him and finally catches up with him, adamant to stay with him come what
may. The last image of the film shows the two of them sitting on a
trainstation in the middle of nowhere waiting for a train to take them to
nowhere else - but at least they are together. A very powerful
and compelling drama that might have been shot on a shoestring and on
hand-held digital cam, but tells its story in a series of greatly
set-in-scene, atmospheric images and a rich cinematic language which
manage to tell the film's story without the use of much dialogue - all of
which make it hard to find anything similar in modern cinema, as this film
is more reminiscent of the neorealist movement from decades ago than
anything else, without ever becoming a rip-off or an unimaginative hommage
though. Apart from its self-assured direction though, the film is also
beautifully carried by Kai Lanette's (intentionally) unglamourous yet
spot-on performance, which makes her, a woman in her 20's, believable even
as a twelve-year-old. Far removed from Shane Ryan's and Kai Lanette's
previous collaboration, the (also great) sexploitation/suspense flick Amateur
Porn Star Killer 2, and a true work of art. If there's any justice
in the film world, Ryan and Lanette are both destined for something really
big - and I don't mean big as in big budget, but big as in great ...
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