Baystate Blues
In reviewing a dozen or so films now from independent filmmakers looking to spread the word about their work, a common thread seems to come through all of the variety of genre and style. It all comes down to character. What they’re going through, who they are, how they seem to have difficulty connecting with one another. Well, most of them are like that, the best ones in particular.
In “Baystate Blues,” such concerns are at the heart of this film, written and directed by Mark Lewis. The story revolves around a day in the life of a couple whose life has changed considerably in the past months. Mike (Scott Lewis) and Devon (Allyson Sereboff) were once very much in love. But a car accident six months ago has left Devon physically and emotionally scarred- she doesn’t have the passion for life or Mike that she used to, and Mike doesn’t know how much patience he has left in him. Even visits from her girlfriends Virginia (Sharon Maguire) and Alex (Steffi Kammer) don’t really lift the mood.
On this particular day, while Mike is at work at a construction job in a church, Devon goes for a walk, and is happened upon by WoJo (McKey Carpenter), on break from touring with his band. WoJo always had a bit of a crush on Devon, and their conversation rekindles some of the passion Devon has been missing recently. When Mike gets home later in the day, they give into some of that passion, but it’s all for naught. She still doesn’t feel comfortable. A night of games and talk with Virginia and Alex promises some fun, especially when Virginia invites an old flame (Jason, played by Joe Tuttle) over.
But the tension between Devon and Mike that has been coming to a boil in the past six months comes to a head, and leads to a family drama that brings some people closer together, and leads others further apart. Lewis avoids melodramatic touches capably in his direction of the actors, who are sometimes a bit rough around the edges, but on the whole embody their characters with genuine feeling and frustration when Devon and Mike behave with irrationality and immaturity. The final shots of all of the main characters hint that their self-discovery of themselves is still in its’ infancy, but there’s a clarity that they’ve gained from the night before that can be the starting point to leading them in the right direction in the time to come.
