by Robbie Jones
It’s a small world, isn’t it?
There are connections and ties amongst the people we know that we never even knew about. Sometimes, it’s a nice surprise, to know that you have friends in common with the people you love. Sometimes, it’s not so great, as shown in Elsewhere NY, Jeffrey P. Nesker’s new film showing at the East End Film Festival.
It’s a small world, isn’t it?
There are connections and ties amongst the people we know that we never even knew about. Sometimes, it’s a nice surprise, to know that you have friends in common with the people you love. Sometimes, it’s not so great, as shown in Elsewhere NY, Jeffrey P. Nesker’s new film showing at the East End Film Festival.
Jennifer (Gillian Visco) has just arrived in New York for the first time, but her friend Christine (Fiona Graham) is unavailable, so she waits for her at a bar. She immediately hits it off with Todd (Andrew Ruth), a handsome bartender who shows Jen the time of her life on her first night in the Big Apple. Waking up the next morning, Todd has taken off, leaving Jen angry. Two years later, Jen is with Ethan (Andrew Leland Rogers), and quite happy....That is until he moves in with Todd. It’s an awkward situation that can get so much worse if the truth comes out, but does she really hate him as much as she thinks?
As good as it is, Elsewhere, NY does have its issues; for one, the camera work and editing are a little shoddy. Now this can generally be forgiven due to the small budget (It’s actually impressive at times), but it can be annoying. Quite often, maybe every 10-20 seconds in some scenes, the camera blurs. At first you might wonder if it’s intentional, but the more it happens, the less likely it seems. The out of focus moments happen far too often and it can be really distracting. On top of that, some shots in the film are distractingly close up, so you don’t really know what’s going on and puts you in quite an uncomfortable place. The only other issue is the performances from Andrew Leland Rogers and Fiona Graham, who don’t have the most engaging screen presences, and parts of their performances feel a bit lazy, plus they lack chemistry with the rest of the cast.
As good as it is, Elsewhere, NY does have its issues; for one, the camera work and editing are a little shoddy. Now this can generally be forgiven due to the small budget (It’s actually impressive at times), but it can be annoying. Quite often, maybe every 10-20 seconds in some scenes, the camera blurs. At first you might wonder if it’s intentional, but the more it happens, the less likely it seems. The out of focus moments happen far too often and it can be really distracting. On top of that, some shots in the film are distractingly close up, so you don’t really know what’s going on and puts you in quite an uncomfortable place. The only other issue is the performances from Andrew Leland Rogers and Fiona Graham, who don’t have the most engaging screen presences, and parts of their performances feel a bit lazy, plus they lack chemistry with the rest of the cast.
Apart from those small things, the film is pretty great. Gillian Visco and Andrew Ruth give absolutely superb performances, and their chemistry is amazing; it’s so believable, and every emotion between them is very clear and it’s just so engaging. Every scene they have together is wonderful for so many different reasons, and at times they make the film deliriously enjoyable. The camera work may have issues, but when it works, it really works. There are quite a few impressive shots that make the film easier to get sucked into, including some great shots at the start that give us a look at New York. The script is great; when it’s funny, it’s funny. When it’s emotional, it’s emotional. When it’s happy, it’s happy etc. it hits every note it goes for. Tom Wilton did a fantastic job with the script, and Nesker is a very talented director who will hopefully go on to big things. Finally, the music is used to perfection; it really injects the life into the film, and it never once feels out of place or misused.
This is Nesker’s first feature film, and, hopefully, it will get the love it deserves. Elsewhere, NY has it’s issues, but overall it’s an impressive film that makes great use of what it’s got, and is definitely a treat at this year’s EEFF.
This is Nesker’s first feature film, and, hopefully, it will get the love it deserves. Elsewhere, NY has it’s issues, but overall it’s an impressive film that makes great use of what it’s got, and is definitely a treat at this year’s EEFF.
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