There’s a funky, loose vibe to writer/director Josh Locy’s low-key drama that gives it a unique flavor, even as it’s often hard to latch on to what it’s all about beyond its colorful central character. His name is Ashley Douglas (Andre Royo), a recently-released middle-aged ex-con trying to re-start his life, including convincing his one-time girlfriend, Linda (Ashley Wilkerson), to take another chance. Locy populates his world with interesting supporting characters like Ashley’s new young friend Jeremy (George Sample III) and a neighborhood photography entrepreneur called Santa, and bounces along on a surprisingly lively tone built largely on Royo’s charismatic performance as an inveterate schemer making only the most superficial efforts to improve his situation. It’s too bad that there’s never the same energy when the story shift’s focus to Jeremy and his efforts to care for his invalid grandfather, building to a conclusion that comes with strangely abrupt tonal shifts. Locy might not know quite how to bring
Hunter Gatherer in for a landing, but Ashley’s irrepressible spirit at least makes for a mostly satisfying ride.
By
Scott Renshaw