SXSW Film Reviews
By Josh Rosenblatt, Fri., March 18, 2005
Straight Line
D: Sean Ackerman; with Ackerman, Shannon Shultz, Monika Franzen, Sam Baker, Chuck Sperry, Joaquin Lizano
Narrative Feature Emerging Visions
In his first feature film, writer/director Sean Ackerman wears his influences flush on his sleeve. Part Ingmar Bergman philosophical melodrama, part home-movie travelogue, and part Terrence Malick nature rumination, Straight Line maps the quiet emotional development of the perpetually forlorn and deadpan Bobby as he struggles to recover from the death of his mother, win back the love of his life, and discover the meaning of this world, all in 80 minutes. Exploring the resigned, defeated soul of his hero in a variety of film styles, stocks, and textures, Ackerman leaves the conventions of linear filmmaking to others less emotionally inclined, working instead like a music video director, who finds meaning in impressions and tones rather than storylines.Alamo Downtown, 9:45pm
