Troubled Spirits [2019]
Film Review
by JannyC
An atheist corporate executive city dweller suddenly finds herself in a witness protection program that sends her to a remote cabin in Montana. As she discovers the unspeakable truth about the cabin, she is forced to seek the strength within, to free herself and others from their haunted past.
– Petra Deeter
Troubled Spirits is… well… troubling. Written and directed by Petra Deeter, it is an artistic piece that has a deeper meaning than its overall package, which plays off as a supernatural-suspense film, delivered in a time-frame of 28 minutes, no less. Deeter not only wrote and directed, but also stars. Her film deals with real and important issues disguised into supernatural elements and ends in an empowering message, if you can see beyond its ultra-low indie budget. I think this is what keeps Troubled Spirits afloat.
Visually, unfortunately, some moments made me wince a bit and it was not due to any scares. Deeter is also listed as co-cinematographer on this (along with David Deeter), which just goes to show that it is rarely a good decision to dip too many fingers in the one pot. The editing, scene transition, special effects were all a bit choppy and lacking in my opinion, as were foleys, sound editing and special effects. Being that the supernatural stuff isn’t the main message of the film could make this forgivable. But still, it hurt the film somewhat. Troubled Spirits had potential for more, though, so perhaps a re-edit, taking care of some hastily dealt with elements might be in order.
Acting-wise, the performances were lacking as well, yet again, it oddly works for some of these characters. Chuck Orozco (as Thomas) was well over the top, while Deeter (as Kaylee Lane) plays her part droll and arrogant at first, then as more and more strange things happen around her, she transforms into a vulnerable heroine towards the end, which I thought was quite impressive. I think Toneey Acevedo (Sherriff Wilson) has the best lines in the whole film, though, and was the most likeable character. The rest of the supporting cast were non-offensive and did not harm the film further.
With all this criticism, you may wonder, why would I rate this film anywhere above average, then? The answer is simply the story. I appreciate Deeter’s tale, which ended up being somewhat entertaining and uplifting. Deeter makes an effort to push forward some artistic vision and approach when putting it all together. All the nitpicking aside, the story draws you in enough, so that other elements can be somewhat overlooked. When all was said and done, I truly enjoyed watching this short. I was appreciative of how Deeter deals with a serious topic by wrapping it all up in an entertaining package to raise our awareness.
Entertaining and shows potential. 7 out of 10.
