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Undescribable Perfection

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Alex Karpovsky, the writer and director, is my new favorite indie movie guy. Having watched through a fair share of indie movies, I can say that Karpovsky has a lot going for him and his talent for independent movie making should be treasured. Watching 'Red Flag' was such a refreshing experience - even though the storyline is pretty straightforward (an up-and-coming young filmmaker takes a road trip hoping to resolve among other some of his personal and emotional dilemmas), Karpovsky manages to breathe a breath of fresh air into the standard 'on the road' movie story and does it so beautifully. I love it how the story makes a full circle and the end of the movie marks a hopeful new beginning. A new day, a new beginning and still, an age-old conundrum - why doesn't US hotel policy allow one extra hour of check-out time, even in the most dire of circumstances? :)

Red Flag is a wry, sardonic look at love, friendship, depression and failure told from the vantage point of a struggling filmmaker who's lost, wandering around the Southern United States on a screening tour that's largely attended by elderly cinefiles. Karpovsky offers us a small, humble yet whip smart and hilarious little dirge that's a mixture between The Puffy Couch and The Death of Ivan Ilyich. It features a cameos from a plethora of indie actors and filmmakers and is shot in a minimal, naturalistic way that accentuates the beauty and simplicity of the story and it's characters. There are clearly autobiographical themes throughout the film, and it's an enlightening and honest portrayal of a starving artist who's struggling with many issues in his day or day life.

Red Flag: No subtitles; poor audio level; no special features; marginally poor acting; was suppose to have some sub level of humor - I never even chuckled once; lots of credits overlapping the first five minutes of film to occupy film time. Conclusion: All an alert for cheap. As a compassionate person I gave it fifteen minutes but like music there are a zillion singers out there trying to make it and if a singer screeches like a barn owl for the first minute - well, it's time to move on to someone else (i.e. another movie). But, as a truly compassionate person I gave it another 15 minutes - no improvement. But, as a truly compassionate foolish person I gave it a 3rd try with a ff towards the end - no better. Plot: Someone's self documentary film on traveling about showing and selling another documentary about searching for an elusive woodpecker (i.e. searching for oneself, I think). He also has personal and girl friend issues which occupy the remainder of the movie. I didn't bother with the other movie.