By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas
Starring: Ajay Naidu | Grace Parra | Lane Moore | Leslie Silva | Masha King | Nyambi Nyambi | Rebecca De Ornelas
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 87
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12827662/reference
Michael says: “Two insomniacs. Zach, finally gives up at 3:45am, after tossing, turning, exercising… then heading down to the neighborhood bodega where he lives in Brooklyn. For Sophia, it’s a cup of tea, some old Dick Van Dyke reruns, then down to the bodega where they meet fairly cute. Sophia is wary when Zach approaches her. It’s 4am, she’s a white woman alone, he’s a black man, albeit, sensitive, and a nice boy according to the bodega’s owner. So the two walk, the walk through the neighborhood talking. Zach talks about giving up alcohol, and how sleep only came when he drank. Sophia talks about her fear of men… not Zach, of course, he’s a nice, sensitive boy… but generally. The sun comes up, they continue to walk, and talk… the conversation is interesting enough to keep our attention, and their dynamic is… interesting. At a slight 77 minutes, it’s entertaining without dragging, despite a somewhat awkward lead actress, and a script that is good, but not outstanding.
“It’s a third, low-budget feature for Michael DiBiasio-Ornelas as writer and director, and he seems to have found a muse in his wife Rebecca De Ornelas, who plays Sophia. Her mannered, direct affect is sometimes off-putting, sometimes refreshing, sometimes a little stilted, but somehow it works. Especially against Nyambi Nyabi’s (‘The Good Fight’) Zach, who has an ease that makes them a rather awkward but somehow endearing pair. Nothing earth-shaking here, but a sweet romance and a walk around Brooklyn at a time very few people are out. 3 cats“