THE FERAL MAN

Produced, Written, and Directed by Brett Kelly
Edited by Jodi Pittman and Mules Longe
Director of Photography - Doug Smalley

Danny - Brett Kelly
Linda - Mary Macpherson
Vaughn - Mark Courneyea
Desmond - Steve Patterson

I've only seen one other movie by Brett Kelly, the early effort NIGHT SONGS, and Kelly's come a long way since he made that one. He's a better writer, actor, and director, but there's still some learning he needs to do. Most notably in that when making a shot on video feature, inaction is the worst possible action. But the only way to learn is to keep making mistakes.

Kelly's most recent movie, THE FERAL MAN, is a noble attempt at psychological horror that's unfortunately encumbered by what I can only assume are the theatrical roots of the director. Written and acted as if it were a stage play, the production often feels stiff and wooden. There are long exchanges with characters sitting on couches that could have been made interesting just by moving the action into the kitchen and giving the actors something to do...like baking cookies or waxing the floor, anything to give a sense of movement or a fitful layer of subtext. Show, don't tell. A good actor can say more with a gesture than any 10 pages of script. Even having the actor's smoke while sitting on the couch would have given more choices for coverage and editing. When it comes to talking-head movies, variety is key.

At its core, THE FERAL MAN is a relationship movie between a man and woman who love each other deeply, but can't seem to get their acts together enough to get past their current round of hurdles. To his credit, Kelly lays the groundwork for an interesting movie by crafting believable characters willing to think for themselves and not because the script dictates their actions.

Kelly's Danny is the sort of chap who wouldn't have any luck if it were not for bad luck. His girlfriend Linda, portrayed by Mary Macpherson, would rather talk to her friends about her problems with Danny than with Danny himself. They're both fighters, but both seem to have forgotten what's worth fighting for.

Danny's string of bad luck continues when he's fired from his job and his father dies soon there after.

When it rains, it pours.

At the funeral, Danny is attacked by some sort of unseen force. Licking his wounds, Danny returns home to find that's he's just begun a long cycle of pain and torment that will carry over to everyone he knows.

Placing character above action is always of the upmost importance, and Kelly has that down. He knows who his characters are what he needs them do in terms of character growth, but at the end of the day a horror film is still a horror film, no matter how many layers of psychological depth you layer on, a director will loose his audience unless there is some sort of visual interest. This doesn't mean merely showing pretty pictures (which there are in fact a number of attractively moody images in THE FERAL MAN), it means keep the action flowing.

With any luck Kelly will continue his progression as a filmmaker. His next movie has the distinction of possessing the creepiest title I've heard in ages, THE BONESETTER. There's lots of cringe-inducing imagery that comes to mind with a title like that. THE FERAL MAN isn't a bad movie, just a near miss. With THE BONESETTER, I hope he learns from his mistakes and follows through on the delivery.

DUDEZ Productions