WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
To be within the nucleus, the heart of, or at the focal point of any circumstance can either be wholly fortuitous or a complete calamity. When caught between two totally opposed forces, life finds itself encountering the second, a path to escape from which might never be evident. Soon, the choices become whether to you allow yourself to find that elusive place of mutual understanding or experience an ongoing catch-22. So it is for struggling addict Jonathan (Craig “muMs” Grant), not only in his plight to flee his vices that have crippled so much of his life, but now also in finding the means to establish peace between his estranged daughter Eva (Kelly McCreary) and his mother Evelyn (Lynda Gravatt).
Regarding the former, Jonathan finds himself a doting father, enjoying to the fullest the times he has to spend with Eva over a friendly, if not playfully “rigged”, game of chess in the park, treasuring the mere fact that she doesn’t at all resent him as much as remains concerned for his overall state of mind and well-being. The latter brings Jonathan a sense of building frustration, as being his mother, he always carries a place in his heart that loves her unconditionally, despite the fact her constant nagging, intrusive, and highly possessive nature is wearing on his patience. As they all come together, it is pouring gas on fire, and soon, when push comes to shove, will Jonathan actually be able to make a decision for himself?
Next, my Mind:
Addictions, along with the associated concepts of dependency, weakness, compulsion, and fixation as applied not only to the habits themselves but how they can so drastically affect interpersonal relationships, are all thematic elements explored in this 10-minute indie short film from writer/director/producer Kristen Hester. We find that it’s not only the physical damage that occurs when substance abuse has turned to blatant craving, but also the inward peril to one’s very heart and soul when trying to come out of it with the aid of those closest who may end up not always having absolute, unselfish ideas as to what the ideal road to recovery is, rather choosing to, sadly, exploit the vulnerable state the addict is in, even to the extent of turning them against others. The illustration of this is visualized here to heartbreaking impact as we view one man’s desperate attempts to find himself and his family again amidst realizing his own partially successful but still overwhelming efforts to overcome his substance-based demons. What makes events even more sobering is witnessing just how torn he is between the two most important people in his life, both of which he desires to be accepted, assisted, and loved by, while not wanting to feel like an undue burden on either one, even though each expresses in their own ways the intention to be a needed presence to him, even if one is far more believable genuine about it than the other. It might even raise the notion that when we are reaching out to provide aid to someone in need, does such a good deed possibly expose our own insecurities and needs for help, which could come at the expense of who we seek to see rise out of difficulty? Additionally, even if totally unintentional, these actions will have ramifications that resonate within everyone involved, for good or ill, and hence the greater need to pay attention to ultimate motivations, as is the dichotomy so effectively demonstrated here between Eva and Evelyn towards Jonathan.
Grant perfectly and unreservedly embodies this battle of body, mind, and spirit in his portrayal of Jonathan, a broken man fighting for his physical and spiritual well-being while having to continually confront the specter of his addictions, being both challenged and coddled by his overbearing mother and loved unconditionally by the now adult child that was taken away from him once and who now makes strides to reconnect. Wanting to experience both relationships, volatility remains between Evelyn and Eva to the point where Jonathan is forced to choose whom he stays with, and that painful reality plagues him, the manifestations of it all so deftly, emotionally presented by Grant. Gravatt brings a purposeful, realistically grounded performance to bear as Jonathan’s mother Evelyn, who in one moment is simply a devoted, adoring mother to her son, albeit with the usual streak of maternal criticism for her child’s actions past and present, but can then turn truly spiteful when it comes to Jonathan’s successful daughter Eva, whom we clearly see she views as competition instead of her grandchild. Thinking no one else can care for her son as good as she can, Evelyn’s attitudes may or may not spell out the “fate” of them all, or perhaps shine an all-too-harsh light on her own inner fragility. Her not-always-subtle manipulations of Jonathan’s emotional state is angering to see yet tragic in nature, as Gravatt’s understatedly intense enactment showcases. McCreary’s bold, beautiful, and confident demeanor shines forth wonderfully through her portrayal of Eva, a highly successful career woman who has now been seeking to regain the closeness to her struggling father, with a nurturing soul that is so delightfully observable during a game of chess the two enjoy with newly discovered frequency and quite sternly apparent in the pivotal confrontation with Evelyn for the betterment of her father’s life and keeping. There’s just this deeply convincing and endearing quality to Eva that so keenly contradicts Evelyn’s shrewdness, and McCreary poignantly depicts this throughout with excellent and stirring potency.
The primary supporting turn comes courtesy of Aaron Katter as one of Jonathan’s fellow addiction recovery pals, Louie. In total, with it’s overall relevancy, thematic weight, firmly rooted messages, honest call to action, and, ideally, evocative impact upon viewers when it comes to addiction awareness, “The Middlegame” is a credit to indie cinema and the character and real world-based substance it offers so consistently in the myriad of forms the passion of filmmakers behind it bring forth for our benefit.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
