EVERYTHING MOVES ALONE

Produced and Edited by Philip Guerett, Thomas Edward Seymour, and Mike Aransky
Directed by Mike Aransky
Written and Photographed by Thomas Edward Seymour

Scotch - Philip Guerette
Anderson - Thomas Edward Seymour
McDunley - Matt Ford
Rob - Mike Aransky

Last night I went to see SPIDER-MAN and the left the theater disappointed. I couldn't connect with anyone on screen, and when the lights came up I walked out feeling emotionally hollow. 120 million dollars to play with and the filmmakers couldn't pull off a single convincing relationship. For only $9000, not even the cost of a day's lunch on that mega-production, EVERYTHING MOVES ALONE hits those emotional cords that the Hollywood assembly lines can only dream of.

The storytelling doesn't rely on special effects or cheap gimmicks to convey its message, just purely independent heart and soul. EVERYTHING MOVES ALONE is beautiful, comic perfection filled with richly developed eccentric characters portrayed by the men who made the movie:.

EVERYTHING MOVES ALONE is a film about the socially retarded. People who can't connect with each other because they've never learned how to connect with people in general. Every time they come close, life hands them the fuzzy end of the lollipop. The characters are smart enough to be aware of their issues, but too self-aware to bother with change. People might start to think they actually care.

Scotch sought refuge from his abusive parents through a stint in the army. When his mouth found itself on the receiving end of a few well-placed combat boots, he was able to pull a Section 8 by drinking a bottle of bleach. All he wants to do is reconcile with his brother Rob, an Obsessive Compulsive apt to numbering his pickles with sticky-tabs.

Anderson is the sort of guy who is prone to trouble making. He's not a rebel by any means, just bored with rural small-town life. His father is gone, not missing mind you, just gone, and he spends the majority of his waking (and sleeping) hours at the local dinner figuring out what to do with his life.

McDunley is the sort of character best at home in a Kevin Smith movie. He's the angry video store clerk who swears at his customers and chases them down the street with a bat. His sister was once in love with Anderson, but now the two men are mortal enemies caught in a war where they are eternally trading a giant garden frog filled with poop.

With no friends to call their own, the four drift in and out of their daily grind with a slacker's haze of complacent anxiety. They hate their stations in life, but lack the motivation to move outside their respective safety zones.

Allowing people to enter their personal space, and eventually create lasting bonds, is almost taboo. Memories of fear, pain, anger, and abuse are what drive the men to make it through the day. They aren't really survivors looking to bond, but more transcenders waiting for their turn to pass through the gates.

With the weight of Atlas on their shoulders, the characters shouldn't be this funny. They come off more as likeable curmudgeons rather than mean-spirited social lepers. Their hearts are skewed, but none are corrupted by their pasts. These guys are grumpy caterpillars trying to break out of their chrysalis shells of security and self-doubt. They might not end up as butterflies, but there's beauty there nonetheless.

EVERYTHING MOVES ALONE is that type of movie where it's not just a true pleasure to view, but also to review. You can sing gushes about it for hours and still not do it justice. It's a reaffirmation that independent cinema is alive and kicking. As long as they have stories to tell, I hope Mike Aransky, Philip Guerette, and Thomas Edward Seymour keep making movies. I also hope you take my advice and check it out.

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