'Heathen' reviews

The blog is back to life! And a bumper entry to make up for the long wait! It's been a really interesting few months, trying to get Heathen out there into the world. I wont lie, it hasn't been easy! I've been sending the film to a lot of film festivals as well as targeting distributors. Its hard to know where to begin with distributors, there are a lot of them out there and they're obviously used to being bombarded with lots of low budget films, so finding a way of getting they're attention inst easy! I've been making contact via the Heathen website and trailer - together, they're my best bet at getting the film across as a product. In the meantime I've been sending the film out for critics to review over the last few months and Im pleased to say the outcome has been extremely positive so far!

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REVIEW - LEFTFIELD CINEMA.COM, 24th May 2009
"Heathen is the best no budget film I've seen this year"

As a low budget film maker myself I can appreciate the enormous amount of energy and passion that has gone into this production. The leading man (Tom Rudd) was great, very natural, very believable for the majority of the film. He could handle the moments of significant emotional turmoil as well as the every day banality. The leading lady (Amber Coombs) was also very good. I liked the twist, I liked how simple and realistic it was, they didn't go for some massive conspiracy and instead kept their feet on the ground. It's a great ending, in fact I'd argue that the end is the best bit of the film. Photography, now there were occasional moments where the lighting was a bit rough but for the most part the lighting was spot on and the photography and editing never felt clunky, it always felt professional. The film was surprisingly tense in places, the scene where he suspects someone is in his house and the final confrontation both had me gripped. The filmmakers clearly know how to build tension and where to build it. I liked the fact that they used exterior locations and public places, it gives the film extra value which it wouldn't have had if it had just been set in people's bedrooms all the time. Great sound design, low budget films usually suffer from horrendous sound, but they've gone the extra mile and clearly understand that sound is as important as picture. When I watch low budget films I often have to change the volume to correct the poor mixing, I was glad to say not in this case.

I get sent a lot of low budget films to review, Heathen is the best no budget film I've seen this year so far. Most of what I'm about to say are but minor problems: Some clunky performances from the supporting cast and poor pacing are made up for by the leads and clever plotting. There is a flashback effect that wasn't needed, nor was the muffled sound used when you went into the past, both of which became a bit grating. A common problem with low budget films is an over use of music, whilst it isn't too bad here, there were some scenes where the music could have been removed and the scenes would have been stronger.

This was done with no official funding yet appears professional in both vision and sound. Even if this film doesn't make it past the festival circuit, I predict a bright future for it's director Ross Shepherd in this low-budget digital age.

Review by Mike Dawson
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REVIEW - FILM MONTHLY, 21st April 2009
http://www.filmmonthly.com/indie/heathen.html

As filmmaking technology has become cheaper and more accessible, more and more people are able to realize their filmmaking dreams. Of course, it’s still not easy to make a film, and it’s especially not easy to make a film while most of your cast and crew are working day jobs. Heathen, the debut feature film from writer/director/producer/editor (whew!) Ross Shepherd, is exactly that sort of production, shot on weekends and free time over the course of 2008. And as far as no-budget debuts go, Heathen is a damned good one.

The film opens with several minutes of moody black and white footage with eerie sound design that establishes a intriguing, somber tone. William (co-writer Tom Rudd) drifts through his bleak, identical days since the disappearance of his brother David (Steve Lorrigan). Disconnected from his friends and family, William rarely leaves his home except for work. That all changes shortly after Chloe (Amber Coombs) moves into his apartment building and the two strike up a relationship, but before long the past comes back to haunt William as he begins receiving messages regarding his brother’s disappearance. And William starts to notice a man who appears to be following him…

Heathen is a dark drama with shades of psychological thriller that relies on a solid central performance from Tom Rudd as William. William is in nearly every shot of the film, so it’s a good thing that his performance is so convincing. There are barely five speaking parts in the entire film, lending it a focused, claustrophobic quality. This narrow works very well with the stylish black and white photography and evocative music and sound design. From a technical standpoint, Heathen is surprisingly accomplished for such a small production.

The only real complaint I have regarding Heathen is that it puts a lot of stock in a shocking twist near the end that may not be much of a surprise to keen viewers. Regardless, the film is undeniably hypnotic, and well worth seeking out. I’m anxious to see where Shepherd goes from here.

Jason Coffman is a film critic living in Chicago.

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ARTCILE - MID SUSSEX TIMES, Thursday March 5th 2009

Film-maker completes first feature by Charlotte Taylor

A young film-maker has just completed his first full length feature film shot in and around Hassocks, Burgess Hill and Brighton. Ross Shepherd, 26, who lives in Hassocks, wrote and directed Heathen on a shoestring with actors giving their time free of charge. With an almost non-existent budget, Ross did all the shooting for the film while co-producer Jamie Tighe operated the sound. The film was shot on evenings and weekends throughout 2008, with the 90-minute film representing about 40 hours of footage.

The film tells the story of William whose brother David went missing a year ago. The day Chloe moves into his bleak apartment block it seems there is a chance for some happiness in his life but when William suddenly starts receiving mysterious messages relating to his missing brother, his fragile world is turned upside down.

Ross said "The film was shot by myself with several friends acting as crew members. We shot the film across most of 2008, only able to film around our day jobs on weekends and evenings. The project was very much a labour of love and we were very lucky to work with some fantastic local actors who all provided their talents for free. We had no professional help or funding for the film, the script was written around the fact that we had no budget and we only aimed to use locations we knew we could get easy access to."

The three leads are played by Tom Rudd as the main character William, New Yorker Thomas Grube as Harry and Amber Coombs as Chloe. Plans are in the pipeline for Heathen to be screened at the Orion in Burgess Hill and Ross is also hoping for a slot at the Brighton Festival as well as submitting it to several international film festivals. Ross, a video editor, graduated from the Surrey Institute in 2005 with a BA in Film and Video. His graduation film was a short fantasy called The Kingdom of Shadows which won the Delta Film Award after being screened at a festival in Manchester.

A trailer for the film can be seen at www.heathenfilm.com
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REVIEW - BRIGHTON SOURCE MAGAZINE, Volume 2, issue 9, March 2009

Now, this is a bit special. A local filmmaker called Ross Shepherd spent most of last year working a full time job and making a movie in his spare time, using friends as crew and a brace of willing local actors, existing entirely without professional help or funding. The resulting piece, shot entirely in Brighton, is a stunning piece of moody film noire even without taking these limitations into account. Its basically a thriller involving cryptic clues to a man's missing brother, but take the time to check out the trailer on the website - local screenings are planned soon.

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REVIEW - MJ SIMPSON, CULT MOVIES & THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM

Here is the first feature from Ross Shepherd (The Kingdom of Shadows) and it’s a good’un. Shot in artistic-but-not-artsy black and white, Heathen is a dramatic thriller with interesting characters, excellent acting, assured direction, an original story, imaginative editing and excellent sound. Can’t ask for much more than that.

Although it’s not a convoluted plot, it does involve a certain amount of mystery, suspense and, in the final act, revelation and so I’m only going to give a vague, generic description of what goes on. Tom Rudd (See it Through, Missing Connection) is excellent as William, an ordinary bloke whose brother David (Steve Lorrigan) went missing nearly twelve months ago. William works for Network Rail and lives in a poky flat, he has few friends and no lovelife. Until the enigmatic Chloe moves in downstairs.

Played with an impressive French accent by Amber Coombs (Aborted Matrimony, The Deepest Sea), Chloe is an artist and takes a shine to William so that his outlook brightens up considerably. But as the anniversary of David’s disappearance approaches, odd things start happening. There is a dedication on the radio to David, purportedly from William. A calendar page arrives in the post with the anniversary marked on it. And a mysterious man (LAMDA-trained New Yorker Thomas J Grube) seems to be following William around.

Was David mixed up in something dodgy? Is he still alive? Who is this man and what does he know?

Shepherd knows just when to use conventional techniques and when to use something a but more unusual, such as speeded up footage or snappy editing. He tells a story, he tells it well and crucially he tells it cinematically.

Continues here:
http://www.mjsimpson.co.uk/reviews/heathen.html