Faraway (2014)

How sad is this?

A Disappointing Continuation

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

FARAWAY is a backpacking indie drama that was shot in the Philippines. There's a little local flavour to enjoy here but that's all you'll be getting from it. The film favours a quirky approach that tries very hard to be humorous with middling results. It is fast paced and it does have snappy editing, which makes it a little more bearable than most, but there's very little of interest in the plot overall.

As former film student, I really hate trashing student / hobbyist filmmaker adventure films as it's all too memorable the sheer effort of logistics that it takes to put something like this together, especially when it involves shooting overseas. However this one just got under my skin.Easily the best / most interesting thing about this very low budgeted film is the location work in the Philippines. Throughout the film we catch glimpses of both rural and city life as well as some refreshing revisiting of that same jungle seen in so many action and war movies of the 70's and 80's. Now with the heyday of International/Filipino co- productions and cheap exploitation movies far behind us, the next generation of filmmakers is stepping in. Of course the sensibilities of these filmmakers, using their youthful enthusiasm to create "artistic" pieces, are quite different from the old ones who did copycat remake action classics such as FIREBACK, COP GAME, and COMMANDER. Unfortunately though, this film makes it quite evident that attempted artistry and originality doesn't positively impact watchability, especially if done on the cheap.At first glimpse one would think this was a kids movie, not one necessarily made FOR children, but BY children as it's just so sloppy and loopy. The main group of characters consist of teenagers and a gung-ho couple 20-somethings on some vague quest to find some... thing (?)... in the Filipino jungles while avoiding a kidnapper/biker gang who just happen to assume that they're after some money. That's about all I could piece together. It sounds and feels innocent and lighthearted enough to earn a PG-rating until it suddenly delves into drug/alcohol abuse, a nasty attempted rape/murder scene, and then later a certain character shot bloodily & blindingly albeit non-fatally in the head and then having to continue about her business.The story (which veers into scifi late in the film) and tone manage to somehow stay beyond incomprehensible, yet childishly inconsistent and inane at the same time. None of the main characters are likable or fleshed out in the slightest and the shoehorned-in romance between two of the tag-along local teens is just embarrassingly awkward. Some performances (especially those done by the locals in their native language) are quite believable but a lot from the inexperienced leads we spend the most time with are either flat or overly theatrical. The action scenes are killed by the hesitance of the filmmakers to actually show us any "money" shots. While at least they attempt ambitious stunts including a car chase / fight with bikers climbing onto a bus, it's maddening that so much of the fighting, injuries (several people are supposedly crushed by a roof caving in an obviously empty house) and bike crashes are merely implied off-screen for obviously budgetary reasons.What's most curious to me about film is how much the barely-there plot parallels Ruggero Deodato's much more entertaining RAIDERS OF ATLANTIS only with most everything of interest stripped away. The film follows a group of disparate individuals on a quest to a lost island, avoiding violent bikers, and even culminates similarly with a hypnotic encounter with some lost / alien civilization. Personally I wish they'd just gone to the effort and found a print of RAIDERS and given it an official DVD release instead of producing this film. It would have saved us the addition of one more underfunded half-baked indie trashterpiece on the evergrowing pile. The makers could certainly make a much better living as location scouts for future Filipino action classics, should the genre ever happen to miraculously resuscitate itself.

"Faraway" is an adventure film from director Randal Kamradt that follows a young girl's journey through the Philippine countryside to find the truth behind the Diwata legend, a group of mythical nymphs that govern the lives of man by writing fated stories of man's lives. "Faraway" stars Dana Jamison, Nick Medina, Genelyka Castin, Leonard Olaer, Vivencio E. Mataganas, Gabriel Enriquez, Maria Olsen, Rachel Appelbaum and Guillermo Jorge. In the film both the myth of the Diwata and the journey of the characters are mirrored and feel much like a Shakespearian play. blending fairytale with real world misadventure. "Faraway" creates a mid-grade drama with some dark edgier moments mixed with lighter, comedic moments. Often the story seems to force the the Diwata aspects into the groups story in a way that doesn't flow naturally but for the most part "Faraway" offers an entertaining and heartfelt tale of self discovery and adventure.The acting is about 50/50 with no character seeming to shine perfectly on screen and the discrepancy is very random. Some characters seem a bit more committed to their part while others come off more over-rehearsed. It doesn't make the film hard to watch since no one actor fails completely and all offer convincing enough characters. The dialog and dramatic interaction at times feels contrived but for Indie cinema, especially as a blended nationality-foreign film set-up, this doesn't really make much difference as to make the story difficult to enjoy. Overall the performances and atmosphere is acceptable and there are some moments that really shine. The soundtrack and effects are more dramatically developed with mild, light action accompanied by standard instrumental sounds. The music flows well with the acting and story which draws you into the character driven drama as well as the more intense active moments. Some of the stunts and action do seem a bit exercised cautiously with little flare much like a family adventure film on a low budget scale. This doesn't hurt nor help the entertainment value, I only mention it so that no one planning to watch "Faraway" expects big budget dramatics and feels let down. The film gives a nice, lighthearted, fun experience that is somewhat family friendly in a PG-13(?) sort of way. Plus the scenery, due to the exotic locations is a visual bonus to the film.

I went into this movie completely blind. I knew absolutely nothing about what I was about to watch. The story is about Audrey who has traveled to the Philippines in search of the truth about an ancient legend. Along the way she is joined by two locals and another American who is there on his own quest of sorts. I was able to quickly see that this was a film that was pushing the limits of its budget. But it was doing it really well. Honestly, some of the problems I had were negated by the awe I had with what was accomplished with what they had. The film itself is beautiful. The locations are amazing. The quality of shots are very high. There are some issues with the nighttime or darker scenes being a little too dark, but the overall feel of the picture is great. There were a few pacing issues, but I am unsure if that was story, film, or a problem with the edit, but once you were into the film it did move and keep a steady pace that kept my attention. I was not on the edge of my seat, but it did keep me in it. The thing that stood out the most to me was the score. The score was extremely good. It felt right. It conveyed moods well, added to scenes, and was very helpful to make this film feel bigger. I would love to have the score as just something to listen to while sitting at my fire pit.The acting was good. There were times when it was better than others and clearly there were some members of the cast that had acting training and others who might be untrained or minimally trained in acting, but it was alright. It added to the ambiance. I watched this movie twice over the course of two days and found it more enjoyable the second time. I was excited to see an adventure movie that had magic, humor,and a fun feeling about it. I loved the vehicle that they traveled in for most of the movie. It was almost as much of a character as anyone else was. Overall, I really enjoyed Faraway. It had some issues, but I have seen bigger films with far more issues and less heart. I want to see what comes next from the stars and from Randal.