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SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA
Produced, Directed, and Written by Don Boner
Edited by Thomas Johnson
Director of Photography - Lee EdgewoodAdam - Jason Kistler
Roy - Reg Land
Sam - B.J. Whetstine
Jane - Janet Vuong
Dan - Wes Pollock
Eddie Ray - Colin Alexander
With so many people in the realm of microcinema working in the horror genre, Don Boner is a breath of fresh air. His last movie, LOSERS LOUNGE, was a murder mystery set in 1948, Indiana. His newest movie, SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA, is a drama about putting the past to rest set along the backroads of the title state. Being older than the average shot-on-video moviemaker, Boner doesn't seem like he can be bothered by the standard formula output of blood, guts, and t&a. Bless him.
Like LOSERS LOUNGE, SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA is a character study. Four people come together with only a few common links. They love the movies of 50's star Eddie Ray, and they all are suffering some sort of emotional turmoil. Meeting on the internet, this group of strangers meets to celebrate the work and explore the work of their long dead idol.
You should know that Eddie Ray is James Dean. His movies are twists on Dean's titles: REBEL WITHOUT A REASON, THE TALL TEXAN, and SOUTHWEST OR PARADISE being REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, GIANT, and EAST IN EDEN, obviously. He lived larger than life, died in a vehicular accident, and still commands legions of fans to share the nostalgia of his work.
I've known people like Adam, Sam, Jane, and Dan. My good friend Joey would emulate James Dean in high school. Years later he could be found still quoting lines from REBEL, and styling his hair like Dean. Dean was the essence of "cool" for his generation. On the eve of the sexual revolution, Dean portrayed the quintessential tortured youth in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. Caught under his parent's thumb, and looking for acceptance of his individuality, Dean was able to reach out to not just a generation, but generations to follow as the concepts of alienation and conditional acceptance still ring true today.
Adam is married, but his marriage is stained. A year prior, his wife sought the arms of another, and the two are currently trying to save what's left of their marriage.
Sam is gay, but still in the closet. He recently had an affair with a close family friend, but he can't confront his mother with his issues. She's only interested in finding him a nice girl.
Dan is a Muslim who recently lost his wife, and he's still coming to terms with the grief. In his mid-20's, he once had a promising career, now he's left with almost nothing.
Jane is looking for love. She blames her gay father for her mother's death, and the guilt carries over into her current relationships.
Together, there are enough issues to keep a shrink occupied for years. These people are the sort of conflicted souls who make for interesting cinema. Their average nature connects with audiences, the dramatic nature of their stories keeps viewers glued.
After the four meet in Indianapolis, they set off for Fairview, Eddies home town. On their journey, they meet Roy, who just might be Eddie Ray. He's larger than life and stuck in a timewarp of 1950's cinema caricature. When he appeared, I thought he was God, in the literal sense, and found out later that assumption was correct - sort of. Roy is the omnipotent deus ex machina who coaxes everyone into their state of self-realization, sometimes a little too pat for my taste, but fortunately the script never violates any of the character's core attributes.
To Boner's credit, Roy is more than just a plot device. He's as three dimensional as everyone else, complete with his own set of problems. And Reg Land, who portrays Roy, exudes such a calm confidence that he makes everyone in his scenes even better than what they most likely would have been. His magnetism rubs off and the other actors seem to feed off it. There a scene towards the end where Roy helps Jane cone to terms with her father that's as emotionally charged as it is honest and real. Together, Boner and Land give SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA a pounding heart that beats throughout the entire movie. It's a case of a right actor and the right director getting the right material and creating great moments together.
As far as character studies go, there are moments in SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA that are contrived and predictable, but every so often there are moments of magic that left me with pure glee thanks to their spontaneity. One such moment involves a street poet, and another a sing along. While neither scene is vital to the plot, and should have brought the movie to a standstill, they reflect the whimsy and surrealness we're sometimes lucky to experience in everyday life. The capricious randomness of these moments are pure cinema reflecting why we go to the movies in the first place, to see something larger than ourselves.
I'm glad for people like Don Boner. I'm glad he's making pictures without the burden of formula. Boner and movies like SOMEWHERE IN INDIANA are what give ultra-independent cinema credibility. As the movie played, I found myself thinking that movies such as SII are destined to be the next important wave in independent cinema. Some stories should be told, and the right people need to tell them.
The DVD comes with an anecdotal commentary by the directory and primary cast. It also features outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a stills gallery. Overall, it's a nice package for this little movie that could.
Somewhere in Indiana
DL-Sites Inc