Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(from the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival)

Directed by: Ellie Kanner
Starring: Bijou Phillips, Ian Somerhalder, Marguerite Moreau, Sprague Grayden, David Zayas, Danny Masterson, Jane Seymour

The beautiful Bijou Phillips portrays a girl with a grit for true grief that leads her to sit in on other's funerals for her own enjoyment. One such service brings Phillips's Carys in contact with the deceased's fiancé, Tyler (Somerhalder), a boy with a bad reputation and on whom suspicion has been cast regarding his former flame's fatality. So, while the cops like Tyler for the death of his girlfriend, Carys likes Tyler; Carys comes up with lies to cover her bizarre behavior, Tyler likes Carys, and onscreen confusion ensues.

The film definitely has a touch of a television feel, long conversations in static scenes, rapidly delivered dialogue that lacks realism but which meanders into modern movie-making all too often, and a bad twang-y score. The sound, generally, needs a remake; it causes the film to suffer from an indie-itis that renders some scenes unbelievable, requiring actors to pretend they're somewhere louder (or quieter) than makes sense for the way they're acting.

Masterson does a good job as the funeral home body preparer who has a crush on Carys but is too good a friend to overstep his honor. He intervenes with logical thought and voice, and brings a sense of order to the proceedings as they spin out of control. Phillips wins her audience over, but her scenes with Somerhalder suffer for Somerhalder's strangeness.

A festival audience won't be disappointed by the film - famous faces finding themselves in festival-friendly fare. However, critical acclaim and commercial success are unlikely to follow down the same cinematic path. In fact, the film's title Wake might force critics to contemplate whether a sleeping state might be the better option. -MPM

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