Written by Ryan Dailey
Truly. Madly, written and directed by Brian Dorton, is a well-written tribute to the Grindhouse/exploitation/slasher films of old. Anthony (Adam Freeman), who is Atheist and openly gay lives with his mother Barbara (Sondra Carver) who has recently lost her husband.
Barbara has no issues judging others and using violence to keep people from following the gay lifestyle or preventing the pedophilic Bob (Douglas Conner) from preying on the innocent.
The director and cast do an amazing job on a very tight budget. Hollywood could learn a thing or two from this group of filmmakers. The dialog is fresh, the acting is very well done and what money they had is up there on the screen.
Truly, Madly is darkly funny slasher about one woman’s mission to “carry out God’s work” and prevent His sheep from going down the “wrong path” and, granted, it is not a new story, this film is executed so well that one does to mind hearing it again. It is a piece of art that was created by a team of inventive creatives that are not hindered by the chains of mainstream Hollywood and it shows on screen.
The inventive dialog is delivered so flawlessly that one may forget that it is not being delivered by individuals that have little to no acting experience. The writer/director presents his tale in such a way that the audience does not realize this is not a big budget affair. The camera moves are smooth and crisp and the way he sets up his shots are both classic and contemporary at the same time.
All in all, this film is a breath of fresh air that is much needed in a form of media that has become stale, movies.
If audiences would support more amazing independent filmmakers such as these plucky artists, the world might experience a new renaissance in film like we did in the early nineties when Tarantino and Rodriguez put the defibrillator pads to the still chest of Hollywood.
This is the type of film that fans of the genre or fans of films in general will thoroughly enjoy.
If you’d like to purchase Truly, Madly you can find it here on blu ray here:
