South of Heaven Review
South of Heaven is a 2021 feature film directed by Aharon Keshales.
A solid feature film with terrific performances from an amazingly talented cast, South of Heaven, may not be a flawless movie, but it has a lot of charm where it counts.
The first act of this film is probably a favorite here. Especially in the opening moments. The introductory monologue from Jason Sudeikis is magnificent as Jimmy and instantly grabs your attention. From there, the world and supporting characters are all great.
When Sudeikis is left to his own devices throughout, in fact his screen presence is undeniable. Evangeline Lilly, as Annie, also has some powerful moments but feels a little more subdued in her scenes and just gets caught up in Jimmy’s world. The interactions that felt the best in the film have to be between Sudeikis and Shea Whigham, who plays Schmidt, the corrupt parole officer. They have an instant chemistry and although they get a solid amount of screen time together, it somehow still doesn’t feel like enough.
To go further into the plot would spoil the film, but while things take some twists and turns, the highs of our introductions and world building don’t quite reach the same levels with the final two acts of the film. While a welcome twist on where you would expect things to go, it feels a touch forced given the nature of the characters we’ve learned about to this point.
Outside of the story beats and amazing acting, the visual quality and cinematography throughout was spot on with great framing and camera work. There might not be that one spot here where we can say, wow, that utterly blows you away. There is a lot of overall polish and consistency that it is very welcome.
Another easy highlight and film to recommend watching, especially if you are a fan of Jason Sudeikis. South of Heaven brings a lot of strong storytelling to the table alongside a wonderful cast. With some welcome twists and turns, you will not just get a solid film but an enjoyable one all the way through.
This film was screened as part of the AFIN International Film Festival.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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