Mustang Island

Some reviewers have likened this film to the work of Jim Jarmusch, and I can see that to a degree, specifically his early black and white films that featured trios of fairly deadpan characters. The humor in Mustang Island is not as dry as in the Jarmusch films, and here the protagonist is explicitly lovelorn. The tracking shots to hip music as the characters arrive at the island reminded me of the scenes of driving around New Orleans in Down By Law. And there my comparisons end!

I thought the Mustang Island locations were great, and I thought the cinematography was pretty good, particularly the night shots. The amusement park in the background in a few shots was particularly evocative. I really liked that a lot of scenes unfolded without dialog, though there were some rather funny lines in the script, which I didn't write down, so no spoilers here! The interactions among the characters seemed realistic to me, with appropriate awkwardness.

I liked this film, though my rating may not seem so high -- I don't believe I've ever given a 10 here, and my 9s are not so common. I look forward to seeing more films by Craig Elrod.