“Eternal Damn Nation”
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The story is a classic tale of good vs evil. How evil can be manipulative, seductive, and give the appearance of solace. Eileen is a small town girl and, when bad things start to happen around her, Rian, a mysterious stranger, seems to be her guardian angel. Rian explains that there is a war waging between angels and demons the final battle is about to take place, and Eileen is the key to victory.
This low budget, indie flick, is the first full length feature written, directed by, and starring Alan Del Tufo, who also did the editing, and visual effects. It is quite an ambitious project and one that was clearly a labor of love. Not to say that Del Tufo wasn’t effective starring as Rian, I think, however, this movie would have been better served had he not directed and starred. It is quite difficult to direct yourself effectively and there is a clear difference in the scenes.
The movie has a very talented cast. Jade Elysan, as Eileen, does an outstanding job with the roller coaster of emotions that the character conveys. Elysan’s portrayal creates a character that is likable and easy to relate with. The supporting cast is just as effective. Carson Doughrety as the sassy, sexy, Danielle; Seth Ruffer, as Timothy, Joe Carney, as the plumber/Locobus, and Roy James Wilson, as Sgt. Rosetti, all give wonderfully smooth and believable performances. In her small but important role, Destiny Cruz, as the little girl, is perfectly creepy!
The plot, as previously mentioned, is a classic good vs evil, full of action and fight scenes. Many of which involve the character Rian, again, making direction challenging. The story flows reasonably, with some flashback scenes used to explain or expand on plot points. Unfortunately, the big surprise twist, wasn’t really much of a surprise, but getting there was certainly entertaining.
The dialogue is often overly formal, which comes across as stiff and somewhat jarring when used in combination with modern colloquialisms. I do recognize that the more formal language is intended as an indicator of possession, but then so are the added CG details. Speaking of CG, there is a lot in this movie. Much of it moves the story along, some of it is just outright distracting and pulls the audience out of the overall experience. I almost always prefer practical effects to CG for gore effects. Again, I recognize and appreciate budget constraints.
Even with the expected lower production value and my, well established, bias against over use of CG, I thought this movie was worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of the low budget, indie cinema. There is real potential here, in every aspect of the film and, if this is a first attempt, I can’t wait to see what comes next.
