Walter (2015)

Full disclosure: I love this movie because it is, among other things, a love letter to Indianapolis. There's Main Street in Speedway, Long's Bakery, and most touching for me, Holy Trinity Church (where my grandparents, parents and I worshipped and which the Archdiocese closed last year). So yes, some of the shots were repetitive, but they made Indianapolis look so beautiful. There's also William H. Macy as a psychiatrist with a very unorthodox technique. And when I say thought-provoking, I mean that you might spend some time wondering whether Walter really is assigning people to their places in the afterlife, or you might dismiss it as a silly premise. But don't many of us, in everyday life, make snap judgments about who is going to heaven and who is going to hell in the firm belief that our judgments are based in objective truth? Isn't there some Walter in many of us? And why do we do that?

No outlandish special effects...just a heartwarming story about a quirky young man who faces his demons in a very roundabout way. The cinematography is excellent, as are the performances by Andrew West (Walter), Virginia Madsen, William H. Macy, Justin Kirk, Jim Gaffigan, Neve Campbell, Leven Rambin, Peter Facinelli, and Milo Ventimiglia. If all of these talented actors got on board with this independent film, it should tell you something about its entertainment quality. Get on board, too--watch WALTER and see for yourself. This movie definitely deserves a high review rating.If you've lived past high school, you can relate to Walter. We've all felt left out. We've all focused on something quirky to get us through our days. We've all experienced having a crush on someone who seems out of our range. We've all experienced loss. And most of us have had a time where we turned our life around. WALTER takes you through all of these experiences and leaves the viewer with a feeling of hope and promise.

Despite awkward writing in pertinent moments, this script works. Walt's love interest could have been better cast by yards or inches depending on how the director had control. The base theme is spot on in terms of how the writers displayed the denial that accompanies the deep loss felt by a child when coping with devastating loss. The relationship between Walt and some-girl-at-his-job was weak at best. His relationship with his therapist was more meaningfully developed in only minutes, a few scenes. Did not understand the egg thing. Rather, got it, but did not feel the import. Cool film, nice sentiment. Some ideas were undeveloped, but then maybe that's just the way it is. Acting well done by William H.Macy, Justin Kirk, Virginia Madsen, Jim Gaffigan of course, and AndrewJ. West. The scene where Walt and Kendall shared a moment (in fact any shared screen time by these actors was forced) where Kendall was crying in the theater was sad only in that it was so poorly written. Failed love plot or huh? In fact, that's where the plot missed the attempt to connect the potentially shared grief. Walt's voice over stated that life's dreariness is blah blah unless shared. Completely failed element. Never developed. Nice film, well acted. Just needed some plot polishing beyond some cookie-cutter chick laying on popcorn ala American Beauty rose petals. We get that. Finish it. Yeah, the romance was stale at best even if it was a sub-plot. Finish the plot.

While the presence of several well known actors including William H. Macy and Virginia Madsen have been referenced frequently in reviews and promotions of screenwriter Paul Shoulberg's movie Walter, the film wouldn't be as poignant if not for the stellar portrayal of the main character "Walter" by Andrew J. West. From his role as a cannibal in "The Walking Dead" to a Christian (of sorts) in Walter, Andrew's ability to create an awkward, ostensibly autistic 20-something and then transform him into a more relatable character as the story progresses is the beauty of watching this film. If you only add one independent movie to your watch list this year, make it Walter.