Review of Shotgun Stories (2007) by Clifford H — 24 Aug 2008

Damn I like this movie. I saw the trailer and have promised myself that I should see it, but I never did until now. A simple story based on two families that start an escalating battle against each other.

Very Faulkner. It begins slowly and you can really see the love between the main characters: Son, Boy, and Kid. I have seen Michael Shannon in only one other lead (Bug by William Friedkin) and he initially strikes you as an unemotional actor.

His subtlety is amazing in this movie - a repressed character who shows what love he can for each person in his life. This is what so-called indie movies of today should be like (we know they're a Hollywood institution now, right?) - not about quirk like Little Miss Sunshine or Juno, but about developing a story and realistic lives with limited resources and the flexibility of a digital camera.

I was genuinely surprised by some of the developments of the story (it's hard to not know with most movies because you either see the surprises in the rating at the beginning of the movie (irritating!) or pretty much know all the peak moments through the marketing hype machine).

Makes you think about what family is all about.