Man in a Box

USA 2014
produced by
Krista Bartosch, Brandon M. Freer, Kevin Eugene Davis (executive) for DynaCore Films, Geminii Films
directed by Kevin Eugene Davis
starring Kevin Eugene Davis, Michael Galante, Warren Bub, Chelsea Marino, A. Michelle Harleston, Tim Duquette, Corey Klinefelter, Kevin Dragwa, Kevin Neary, Melody Tanouye, Eric Farmer, Jer Tobin, Krystal Derhammer, Shannan Grzenda, Alisha Ozehoski, Najeeb Bilal, Brianna Davis, Zander W. Feist, James Paul O'Hara, J. Domenic DeMuro, James Caceres, Nyce Issac, Rudy Goodwin, Damian A. Dziura sr, Elizabeth Nardone, Jody Dempsey Cain, Ryan Nage, Sarah Zoppi, Anthony Arcure, Lorelei Sands, Carolyn Seibert, Ava Groves, Krista Bartosch, Kat Miller, Sabbo Brown, Ryan Moore
written by Kevin Eugene Davis, Tom Peeler (co), music by Adam V. Jones, songs by Alice, 208 Talks of Angels, Sweet Cyanide, SaviOr

review by
Mike Haberfelner

Back when he was a kid, Lloyd (Kevin Eugene Davis) shot dead his parents and little sister, than he gave himself up to the authorities. He has spent 20 years in a mental institution since, has become a changed man thanks to psychotherapy but also medication, and he has found God ... and now his cousin Ryan (Michael Galante) presses for his release and is only too happy to give him shelter at his place - also because Lloyd selflessly saved his life back in the day. Ryan's wife (Chelsea Marino) though is dead set against it, figuring he's nothing but a timebomb. And in a way, she is right, Lloyd is far from "normal" these days, still haunted by the murders he committed way back, and especially visions of his dead sister (Brianna Davis), who was more of a collateral, actually, but for whose death he feels most responsible of all. Regular church visits give Lloyd some solace, but wandering the streets at night, seeing all the injustice going on fail to give him the balance he needs.

Thing is, while Ryan tries to give Lloyd a stable home, he isn't as innocent as he likes to be, having stolen (and sold on) a bag of coke from crime kingpin Sonny (Warren Bub), and Sonny, while not on the brighter side of the spectrum as it is, has a dangerously short temper, and once he finds out it was Ryan who stole his coke ...

Man in a Box is an extremely well-constructed little film, managing to combine several rather separate narratives into one very tense story-arc that pushes on throughout. But the film is also carried by an approach to its storyline that is fittingly ambivalent regarding "good" and "evil", a directorial effort that fortunately stays away from pure sensationalism, characters with depth and a strong cast to embody them. In all, a very decent genre-bending genre effort.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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