The Dynamiter

"My dreams are smaller than those of others"
Let me state upfront that I am a big fan of the Film Movement library of foreign and indie movies, in fact so much that earlier this year I finally gave in and started my subscription to their DVD-of-the-month releases. This is the most recent (October, 2012) release in that series. While most of the time we get a foreign movie, this is one of those rare occasions when we get a US indie movie.

"The Dynamiter" (75 min.) brings the bittersweet (more bitter than sweet actually) tale of 14 yr. old Robbie (played by William Patrick Ruffin), who is living with his grandma and his younger half-brother Fess in rural Mississippi. Robbie's dad is never mentioned in the movie, but his mom, also absent, is mentioned: she took off for California, looking for "herself". Robbie keeps hoping for her return. Then out of the blue, Robbie's older brother Lucas shows up and you can just tell he's up to no good. Meanwhile Robbie is working long hours at his summer job at a gas station, and...

cecile michallet-riboud
Fantastic! Matt Gordon is a giant and the most promising film director. His american and european education coupled with a natural thinness, emotional intelligence and genuine artistic talent make him the it film director to follow.

Amazing film
I highly recommend it. It is a powerful and sensitive film about a part of America that has been left behind. It is halfway between a fiction and a documentary.
For the soundtrack alone (with songs by Bon Iver and Animal Collective) it is worth buying the DVD.

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