11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Take on an Old Theme, November 7, 2003
"Redemption" feels familiar but smells new. It is basically a "Less Than Zero" LA rich kids story with a twist: all of the rich kids are black. This movie is low-budget but well done. It is horrifyingly shocking in some parts, sometimes heart-warming and never slow. The directing, writing and acting are a cut above movies in this genre (I think I've seen Brian White on TV a couple of times) and budget range. If you like brave attempts in independent filmaking, you'll dig this. There are two scenes that are ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL by ANY DEFINITION: the agent and the casting director. You'll see.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive!, December 12, 2003
I had the pleasure of screening an early version of this film and was quite impressed. Being of an older demographic, I admittedly expected to be "lost" with the storyline. And while perhaps I couldn't relate to the characters, I was pleasantly surprised that I actually cared about them, which is a testament to the excellent directing and writing. Overall, I found the film to be quite impressive and recommend it without hesitation.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Take a Walk on the Wild Side: buy Redemption, December 16, 2003
Redemption: Review
By Ann Olivia
This is the debut film of Sean Reid, a fresh young talented Director -Writer and Producer.
Redemption is loosely based on his true story, of his struggle with lifes promise, pain and addiction.
The film delves into Christians (a twenty-something African American played by Brian White) search for truth, forgiveness and love by exploring his relationship with a young woman he meets at a party. Redemption takes us into the lives of the creative artists, wanna- bees, and hangers on, who live on the extreme edge of the highly glamorized world of the entertainment business in Hollywood.
Christians father, his girlfriend and his good friends, try desperately to save him from his spiral into self pity, when a much desired big break in Hollywood is lost to him by his refusal pay back a favor. The choice has devastating consequences for his career. His success quickly unravels. The deal and relationship with his Mega- agent are un-done.
He is driven deeper into his addiction to drugs and alcohol, and thus begins a cruel journey to self-destruction.
In the end, the film makes clear, that redemption must be granted by oneself, to oneself.
It speaks to its generation but the problems it addresses are not new.
The film uses a hybrid documentary style to explore the world of sexually addictive relationships and abusive behaviors lurking just behind the scenes in Hollywood. It makes excellent use of unusual camera angles, a gritty and edgy editing style to overcome the limitations of a low budget production.
The young actors playing the lead characters of Clare and Christian, have a luminous on-screen presence and offer powerful and gripping performances.
A must see film, for a powerful look at the underbelly of the in-crowd and hip hop hype of the entertainment business, mixed with drugs and the superficial values of our culture - a brew that gets some in our society caught - up and lost in a world of abuse and dreams of fame.
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