WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Childhood’s end, the loss of innocence, and the burying of secrets. The are themes explored countless times, expounded on through narratives that contemplate the events which became the catalyst that change a boy into a man, or a frightened little girl into a truth-seeking, but troubled young woman. The ghosts of a past long repressed, yet eerily real and fighting to get out. Through it all, one element remains constant, yet enigmatic–music. For 21-year old Reiga (Sabrina Dickens), both her waking and non-waking hours are intertwined with visions of three people–a man, woman, and a small girl–augmented by songs that sing of life experiences and the emotional state Reiga is in, motivating her to seek answers to their meaning.
With the past a blurred mirage in her mind and future serenity in the balance, Reiga seeks the assistance of her music teacher Tutor John (Ben Rigby), nuns she was taken in by at 7 years old, Mother Superior (Alexis Caley) and Sister Clare (Clare Langford), plus a psychiatrist Dr. Tom (John Altman), and even a musical idol, Polly (Jan Anderson), in the attempt to piece together what exactly happened to her. Even when boyfriend Sam (Elliott Francis) tries to help, though, Reiga’s mental condition begins to fray, as suddenly, all those around her seem to be convincing her she’s going insane. Undaunted, however, Reiga’s search for her childhood’s reality reveals darker secrets, ongoing deception, betrayal, and an inescapable need for atonement.
Next, my Mind:
Two words that this reviewer never thought would be used in the same sentence describing a given film’s genres–musical thriller. Yet, that is exactly what has been delivered here thanks to Writer/Director Joe Scott with the aid of both an amazingly solid cast and the real life music group The Science of the Lamps. One would potentially doubt this combination of categories would gel at all, but make no mistake, this is superbly simple yet unequivocally deft execution in the utilization of songs intermixed with tense drama, a mind-twisting, emotionally-charged plot, and stark cinematography tying it all together in a wonderful indie film package. This isn’t simple in that one doesn’t have to pay attention, though, because it is intricate detail this effort thrives on.
Lead actress Dickens is quite a wonder, with not just the ability to embody the frightened, fragile, almost broken, yet defiantly determined Reiga, but she has a fantastically beautiful voice on display to boot, covering ballads to upbeat pop as called for throughout the story with grace and breathy ease. The rest of this cast is equally well-chosen, each taking on their given roles with poise, and making the viewer very easily love or hate their given characters based on the part they have in Reiga’s journey. Additional appearances by David Corden as a very hard-driving DCI Reid and Thom Morecroft as a key character Paolo also add weight. Overall, “My Lonely Me” stands as one feature-length indie that begs you to lay aside any genre-meshing doubts and take an edgy, melodic adventure into the power of facing obstacles and finding validity.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
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