RegionRat
“Regionrat” offers a look into the life of Ray, a kid who plays off as being nonchalant and to go with the flow kind of guy. He’s back in his hometown after thing in Seattle didn’t work out for him. He reconnects with old friends, makes some new ones, and even meets the girl of his dreams. They party, they smoke a lot of pot, and they cause mischief all to take up their time so they are no longer bored because they’re at the awkward stage right before the legal age of 21. However, there are consequences… A few more than somebody would really want to face. This film accomplishes so much and I was hooked right from the beginning. I laughed, I related to some of Ray’s viewpoints, and I cheered him on all the way to the end.
For starters, this film feels extremely realistic. The way the characters all interact with one another really made me interested to get to know each and every single one, especially Ray. His characterization is really complex as writer, Javier Reyna, really added all these attributes to give us a character at face value, yet there’s something more underneath. He had a lot of depth and that alone was fun trying to relate too and see what his overall arc is. Erin, the girl of his dreams, acts as the force that opposes his internal desires. Ultimately he convinces himself that her desires are his and it completely erases what he actually wants out of himself and friends; it complicates his arc that much more but adds another layer to Erin’s. All characters serve a purpose in this film.
Another thing I really appreciated was how much attention there was to detail with the structure. Each scene is edited to flow seamlessly into the next. The lighting and camera movements took their own personality with each character and really help emphasize key elements for that character in whatever situation they find themselves to be in. There’s a beginning, there’s a middle, and there’s an end. Within each act there are little title cards with phrases that echo what Ray feels underneath or foreshadows a plot point that really moves the story forward in an interesting way.
My favorite thing of all though: the acting. Every single second we spend with Ray I believed to be true. Every single second we see him interact with his friends felt genuine. There’s so much emotion to this character that’s supposed to be laid back and nonchalant, yet the actor, Connor Williams, really adds a lot of emotion to Ray’s decisions that kind of backtrack his goals and offer us an insight into what he could possibly be thinking. There are parts where he’s funny, then there are parts that are actually really sad, and boy did he sale that.
Overall, this is an excellent film that really surpassed any expectations I had for it. I was surprised by how involved I got with the story. I loved how surprised I was though, because it took me on a journey of self-redemption and being true to yourself. There are subtle messages weaved throughout this story and by the end you realize there’s truth to some degree in every scene.
