By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Director: Giovanni Sanseviero
Starring: Giovanni Sanseviero | Michael Maldonado | Tony Ryan
Country: united_states
Year: 2005
Running time: 40
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346336/combined
Michael says: “After pursuing an acting career on the stage, and while trolling the audition circuit in New York City, Giovanni Sanseviero found a mostly abandoned building in Hell’s Kitchen and thus was born the idea for his first film. Written, directed by and starring Sanseviero, THE EMPTY BUILDING is a beautifully shot film that takes a surreal look at guilt and redemption through a harrowing tale of abuse.
“A line of people queue through the snow in the woods, awaiting their turn to enter an empty building that brings them back through some of their most harrowing memories, there to face their pasts and find redemption. After a brief introduction featuring a mother who lost her two young daughters in a horrific accident, the main story begins. Benny enters the building and returns to a particular New Year’s Eve when he was 14. Benny’s story unspools with voices overdubbed while the adult Benny explores the now not-so abandoned building. Brief, then longer scenes of his childhood come to Benny and unearth painful emotions in the adult. Sanseviero uses staged sets and creative lighting to bring Benny and the viewer through the man’s difficult past.
“In the end, Benny does find redemption, but his journey isn’t an easy one. Sanseviero does a great job as the emotionally stifled Benny, and fortunately, he has found a talented young actor in Michael Maldonado to play Benny as a child. It’s a difficult role playing a victim of abuse, and Maldonado certainly seems to have found a calling given that this is his first acting role
“The problem with THE EMPTY BUILDING lies in Sanseviero’s script. Tales of childhood abuse are difficult to tell without coming across as somewhat trite or simplistic, and Sanseviero’s elaborately fantastic journey through the mind mitigates some of that danger; but some scenes still seem overwrought or even slightly silly which lessens the film’s overall impact. Still, there are some nice moments interspersed, and as a first-time effort, Sanseviero should be commended for his daring attempt to tackle a difficult subject. Love the facade used for the building. An excellent use of location and props.”