This Is Ours

June 16, 2012 - The Film Snob - No Comments

Site Score

9.4

Good: Great acting and cinematography. Solid audio and soundtrack

Bad: A little heavy handed at times.

User Score

9.0

(1 votes)

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Rating: 9.0/10 (1 vote cast)

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It’s said that an effective writer writes what he or she knows. Not many indie filmmakers capture the raw emotion of married life like writers and directors Kris and Lindy Boustedt. Subtle, yet telling glances, the feeling of being trapped in monotony, and the unspoken damage that couples have done to each other over years of matrimony may not paint the brightest of pictures of married life, but Kris and Lindy tend to inject hope into each of their films. While that hope may not include a happy ending, it does include a satisfactory resolution to their character’s drama.

Karen and Will (Karie Gonia and Ernie Joseph) are moving out of their idyllic cabin in the mountains. Their relationship has seen tough times, and even though they still live and sleep together, it seems like they both lead solitary lives apart from one another. It’s evident that Karen still longs for the passion that has gone from their relationship, but they are too far gone as a couple to rekindle that flame without a significant push. Enter Eric and Sandy (Mark Carr and Wonder Russell), a couple leading a gypsy-like existence of free love and no responsibility. Their worlds collide and they become a part of each other’s lives, showing each other the things that they’re missing in their respective relationships. For Will and Karen, it’s showing them the life that they’ve been missing, and for Sandy and Eric it’s showing them showing them something more traditional, and inciting a little jealousy. Neither way of life seems to be right or wrong, but instead just decisions made and consequences lived with, and regrets on both sides.

Small details in this film really inject reality into their characters, and the filmmakers turn a simple game of Monopoly into a metaphor for Karen and Will’s marriage. “There’s not enough money”, “we’re going to do it right”, these are arguments that extend beyond a board game. Will throwing the board aside is a symbol of their marriage. He’s tried and now he just wants to cast it aside and stop feeling like a failure. The film can come off a bit heavy-handed at times, but it’s these small details, combined with excellent cinematography, the charisma of all of the actors and actresses, and the stunning locales that truly make THIS IS OURS a film to watch.

The acting all around is stellar. It’s evident that many of them aren’t just saying the words on the page, but making their parts their own by channeling life experiences. There’s no faking going on in this film, but genuine heart and feeling being put into every scene. The synergy between the actors and directors make this a piece of modern Americana. The audience is seeing reality unfold in front of them. The audio and soundtrack perfectly compliment the film, and the attention to detail overall puts THIS IS OURS in it’s own class.

This Is Ours, 9.0 out of 10 based on 1 rating

About The Film Snob

Nic Baisley is the owner of FilmSnobbery, is an advocate and passionate speaker for indie film, a film reviewer, and the host of the web broadcast series FilmSnobbery Live! Nic also offers his services as an independent film consultant whose passion is giving a voice to independent content creators.