Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(from the 2008 Moondance Film Festival)
Writer/Director: Allen Blumberg
Starring: Philip Moon, Michael Santoro, David Midthunder, Marcus Ho, Rosann Ma
In this exciting independent feature, we are thrown in to the world of 1950s Middle America. Conservatism, conformity, McCarthyism and paranoia are the order of the day.
Roland Lu, a successful reporter who left town as a young man, returns to Millville only to discover that the town has changed... and not for the best. The "red scare" of the '50s plays into the hands of the town's rich and powerful, who take advantage of the climate of fear for their personal gain. The property of long-time Chinese Americans is under siege as the townsfolk conspire to confiscate their homes.
Director Allen Blumberg has fashioned a compelling drama of Americana that stylistically matches its setting and time... It is shot in beautiful black-and-white with period cars and small-town settings. -MPM
Screens at The Quad arthouse theater in New York, May 22 to May 28. View trailer: www.warmflashproductions.com/heartland_final.mov
Also see Allen Blumberg's article for MPM: "Ghosts of the Heartland."
Photos courtesy of the filmmaker.
Filmography links and data courtesy of Internet Movie Database.
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