Runaway (2005)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Powerful

Brilliant and touching

best movie i've ever seen.

Michael Adler (Aaron Stanford) is struggling to cope under the supervision of Dr. Maxim (Terry Kinney). He runs away with his younger brother Dylan from his parents (Melissa Leo, Michael Gaston). He works at a convenience store with foul-mouthed Carly (Robin Tunney) and owner Mo (Peter Gerety).It's a low budget indie. Stanford does a quiet compelling character although I would have wanted him to act out more. I want him to hint at the ultimate twist. The movie in general needs a few more visceral clues. It needs to amp up the tension so that the final twist fits better. It could have dug into his personal strive and given him a license to act out. Carly is a fun character. She saves this from being too low energy. Her relationship with Michael is great. She has one amazing scene. There is just a need for more foreboding in the tone.

Boy! This was a gripping and very well acted and written film about a very difficult subject, namely the effect of child molestation on its victims. For what appears to be an extremely low budget film, I was as intensely involved as I have been in any film in a long time. So why did I only give this film a 7? Because of the surprising ending. I realize sometimes a shocking ending can make an otherwise mediocre film worth while, like in the 1970's little seen shocker "The Baby", but in this film, after so much pain and difficulty, I was hoping for an upbeat or at least hopeful ending. It left me so let down that, despite its cleverness, I felt deflated and even depressed. I can't imagine this film finding much audience beyond the festival circuit, no matter how much it deserves to be admired. I don't have to have a Hollywood ending, but a little sliver of something hopeful would have helped.

Great movie! The casting in this movie was so perfect I really can't imagine anyone else playing those roles. And there was something about some of the filming techniques (or effects might be a better word) which made it very unique. The music was perfect, the writing was awesome, the actors -- really really great acting -- and the story blew me away. Runaway is one of the best movies I've ever seen.Even this morning, I was still processing the movie as I drove home from Toronto. It's one of those movies that I wish I had on DVD so that I could watch it a couple more times. Also, it would be helpful to watch it with writer or director commentary throughout. I hope it becomes available in the future for individual purchase and that they have those features on the DVD.If you see it at a festival, please DO try to stay for Q&A with the makers of this film - that's a great bonus!

I saw this at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival with the director and producer present. I unfortunately didn't have time to stay for the Q&A.This is a story about a protective elder brother and his younger brother who are runaways in a small non-descript town.But just what are they running away from? Well -- we fairly quickly have a pretty good idea what that something might be though with a series of spread out flashbacks depicting a somewhat troubling home life. But then I felt I was waiting for the movie to get rolling, when instead it took it's time. Perhaps a bit too much time for my pacing.Regardless, the film does a good job at creating suspense amongst our troubled characters. In particular, the role of the elder brother's co-worker, played by Prisonbreak's Robin Tunney was excellent. She's right on as the carefree yet sympathetic shoulder to lean on.Overall, this was a good movie to watch, with a good screenplay and good acting.