“Skipping Stones,” the independent/drama directed by S.J. Creazzo, is a good movie. It’s filled with insightful dialogue and gentle moments. It’s acted wonderfully by lead Nathaniel Ansbach, with nice supporting work by Gabriella Kalomiris and the rest of its cast. From the opening frame, this feels like a still movie, a film about life captured by it nuances. Watching “Skipping Stones,” you can definitely tell you’re watching an independent film. And while its conclusion tries to pack in too much, you’re still left with good feelings from the movie that’s just passed.
‘Skipping Stones” Emotion Triumphs Over Plot
One of “Skipping Stones’” better aspects is that it lets its plot unfold slowly, and shows instead of tells. Its lead character, David (Ansbach) is a rare find. He’s the type of character that often finds their way into independent films, and effortlessly carries us through the movie. He’s a young man who has lost his best friend in a tragic accident years ago, and comes back to his hometown to find peace. To do this, he reconnects with his parents (Patricia Charbonneau, Michael Ironside), his brother (Michael Spellman), and some friends. He also connects with Amanda (Kalomiris), the sister of his deceased friend. She used to have a crush on David years ago, but their reuniting is anything but a romance here. David peels back the layers on the accident that has trapped him as he and Amanda try to find a way out.
To appreciate a film like this, you have to first understand it’s not about plot. Ansbach and company bring emotion to these roles; it feels, most of the time, like plot has been sliced away to let you feel that emotion and feel you’re truly amidst these people. We feel like we know David and Amanda, and get to know David’s father, brother, and friends too. We also feel like we know this town, and this tragedy that has happened to it. People live and work; but their lives are stuck by tragedy, only now showing the first signs of springing back to life.
Ansbach and Kalomiris Excel Throughout
Ansbach is great as David. Truly, most of “Skipping Stones” positions him as the major player, and he delivers. In the opening frames he walks, silhouetted by the town as he returns and a soulful guitar ballad. He’s a man looking for answers, and it’s good that the film, filmed in the New York Catskills and written by Rich Cirillo, is slow to peel apart the answers he’s looking for. People in “Skipping Stones” often treat David like he’s a ghost; in many ways he is. But he finds a way back during the film’s run, and it’s because of Ansbach that we connect to David as we do.
‘Skipping Stones,’ the independent/drama directed by S.J. Creazzo, is a good movie.”
The film’s supporting characters are good too. As Amanda, Kalomiris’ role isn’t written as deeply as David’s, but she excels at bringing her character to life. She, too, has been stopped in her tracks by the tragic loss of her older brother almost ten years ago. What works about Amanda’s character is she’s believable; too young to remember her brother fully, she feels his loss in the way it ended her family the way she knows it. Her father (Daniel Hugh Kelly) really stops yearning to live and her mother (Chase Masterson) despises her for reasons she can’t comprehend. She’s a talented ballet dancer; reuniting with David reconnects her with things she may have forgotten, even if it brings more pain than she can handle.
Daniel Hugh Kelly in “Skipping Stones.” (Photo: Dreamality Entertainment).
A Small Town Portrait About Healing Lasting Hurt
Solid also here is the small town portrait the film’s cinematography creates, done here by Rich Cook. Quiet streets and interiors of homes lines most of “Skipping Stones’” run-time, and it’s done with great effect. Cook isn’t afraid to let his camera linger in uncomfortableness, and the film is all the better for it. From a night of too much drinking for David, to a pained ballet practice for Amanda, the camera lets “Skipping Stones” wash over you, and you can feel this movie.
If there’s anything amiss with this film, it’s that the third act tires a little too hard to pack in too many closing arcs, where a simpler ending may have served it better. It feels there’s too many character’s stories to wrap up, and it leaves the quiet stillness of some of its earlier acts and creeps toward dramatic. It’s a credit to the film that it regains itself in its closing shots, and doesn’t do much to betray the film that has come before.
To appreciate a film like this, you have to first understand that it’s not about plot.”
A Solid Independent Film
All-in-all, “Skipping Stones” is a solid movie. This is an indie film lover’s dream, a film that will make you remember why you love independent films in the first place. It has solid acting and script-writing, and explores its characters nicely. You feel good watching the people in this movie, even if the hurt they feel can often jump off to you. Ansbach leads a good cast, and he will likely have a good career if this film is any indication. “Skipping Stones” asks you to try and heal the hurt inside; it’s crowning achievement is that it believes this is truly possible.
“Skipping Stones” is available to stream on most platforms.
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