At one point or another in our lives we have all had the feeling of being out of place. Maybe during that first day at a new school or a brand new job we look around and see everyone else fitting in. There have been a lot of movie plots that have used this theme just because of the universal nature of the feeling. It also allows the writer and director to go off in several directions. This theme can be played for laughs in a comedy or demonstrate the loneliness and isolation of being out of place. One of the more recent films to take this on is ‘The Good Life’ by newcomer film maker Stephen Berra. In his choice of genre he splits the difference between the two extremes going for a comedy drama. This does afford him greater latitude in presenting the story. This is not a fantastic film but it holds together as a solid and steady piece of entertainment. At least Berra didn’t go out for the young Indy director’s fallback the schlocky horror flick. Instead he took on something works on an emotional level keeping the interest of the audience. This is the kind of movie that sustains your faith in the purpose for the independent film system. A little film like this could never sustain the interest or receive even its same budget of three and a half million from a major studio. They demand big blockbusters that will provide incredible returns on their investment. A film like this is made for the sake of the art of cinema. The cast and crew are committed to this project; that is very obvious. Such enthusiasm projects out to the audience. The film made the usual rounds on the Indy festival circuit including the prestigious Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. The film was also showcased overseas in several festivals. Just in case you missed seeing it in such venues you have a chance to view this film with its DVD release by Image Entertainment.

Writer director Stephen Berra is best known as a professional skateboarder; he started in the sport at the young age of thirteen. He also garnered some notoriety as the husband of actresses Juliette Lewis for some four years. Unlike many people moving from one career to another Berra has taken it slower. He has appeared in several television series as an actor before taking on the movies. This is his first script and by the looks of it he has found a new place in the entertainment industry. You do not improve by taking on the easy tasks. This is evident with Berra in this story. He infuses it with themes that are difficult to portray like alienation and depression. If he chose to go with a straight forward drama this movie would easily have gone over the line to the melancholy. He takes the different less trod road by instilling the right amount of humor into the mix. This does tend towards a darker comedy but here it works just fine. It is also interesting where he sets the location for the story; a small town in Nebraska. This is a town like so many in this country. In such places the world of the entire population revolves around football. Since this is shown from the point of view of the protagonist, Jason Prayer (Mark Webber). He is not interested in much in life especially football. The more common way to go is to draw in as many football scenes as possible but Berra takes the high ground here. The script is not as tight as it could be. There are nonsequitors that abound here that should derail the story. If you look deeper you may come to see things in a different light. This story made from the point of view of a very confused and marginally disturbed young man. Berra is not showing the world the way it is but how Jason views it. This screenplay combines a character drive movie with one that is dependent on the strange situations that seem to be everywhere.

As a director this is Berra’s sophomore opus. His first movie, ‘7 Teen Slips’ was a fairly well received drama. It was considered too heavy handed which may be one reason why he decided to go with a little more comedy in this outing. He is on the right track but is still admittedly on the learning curve with this film. The pacing of the first act is off. It drags in places and could have used a tighter editing. There is also a need to smooth out some of the plot and character arcs. These are just missteps that will most likely be resolved as he grows into his position as a director. These are all technical points that may be unnoticed by many in the audience. This is due in a large part to how the movie creates a feeling of sympathy with the Jason. His life is so morose that you can’t help but to feel good about your own.

Jason is just out of place in the small town where he lives. While everybody is hoping the local football team will make the playoffs or go on to the big game he couldn’t care less. He spends his days working at a gas station. At night he gets to pull away from most of the population helping his friend Gus (Harry Dean Stanton) run the town’s movie house. Gus is at that point in life where memory is a very tricky thing. His mother, Diane (Deborah Rush) is not able to offer much to Jason. She is overly needy. Since there is man in her life she clings to her son depending on him for financial and emotional support. She has gone past unwilling to care for herself and now has moved on to unable. Her failure to cope has resulted in not paying bills so they face the cold winter without heat. There is little relief from his sister Dana (Drea de Matteo). She is straddled with her own problems including her husband Darryl (Donal Logue) and their new baby. He is like many in the town who wants to see the team play at the upcoming Fiesta Bowl. Jason has an adversary; Tad (Chris Klein). He was once a football star player who is trying to retgain that fame and let that moment of glory back in school continue to define him. Like most bullies he picks on Jason just because he is an easy target. The single bright spot in Jason’s life is Frances (Zooey Deschanel). She is quirky and effervescent and in her own way displaced in this little town.

This film reminded me of one of my favorite Indy movies, Hal Hartley’s ‘Trust’. At its heart are two dysfunctional people who are somewhat whole when they are together. It takes some time to warm up to this film but if you give it a chance you will. Once again Image Entertainment shows their dedication to the odd little film that few outside the festival world have even heard about. This is one that is deserving adding to your collection.