Indie Film Review: Exceptional Beings

 Written by Joe Compton

Two Supernatural Beings begin to question their Godhood, when they encounter a human being, an ordinary woman with an uncanny essence, who doesn't conform to their thousands of years of knowledge about humanity. They journey through her existence, as it relates to their desperate need to understand answers to questions, they never believed existed.

Directors:  Njedeh Anthony, 

Christian Kazadi

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Writer: Njedeh Anthony 
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Cast: Eric Roberts, 

Rachel Thundat, Ciarra Carter, Dane Oliver, and Victoria Antonelli

WHAT THIS MOVIE DOES WELL: I love the questions it asks and how it challenges us as viewers of this movie. When the dialogue is poignant and purposeful it is amazing. In those moments it's used to settle us, to invoke and make us think about how all the pieces of this movie's puzzle are coming together. In doing so it gives layers to this story. When the action starts it brings us right in from the start. It has a small prologue of voiceover, not my favorite thing in the world to start a movie but I get why it's there and its somewhat brief enough. Treating us like intelligent viewers is always going to win me over and ultimately when this movie finds its footing it does that very well. 

I am a big fan of Victoria Antonelli's performance as Apollo, she really steals the show on screen for me here. I think all the leads play their parts well. I have to say I am happy to see Dane Oliver from Njedeh's 2nd film Creatures of Necessity. I think his presence in this movie really anchors the tone and volume in which this movie slides itself into neatly. I like how the other 2 leads in Rachel Thundat and Ciarra Carter play their roles here as well, kind of giving us the emotional and physical punches that balance everything out. 

There is a couple great shots here like the flashback scene, which is well cut, well designed, and well executed all the way around. I do feel like there are a few first-time filmmaker mistakes in here that are hard to ignore, like the prologue I mentioned at the top of this review, cut that out and I think there is so much more to the intrigue of what is going on. There is also too much static in a movie that relies on movement to couple the dialogue and not cripple it. Then also depending on where you might fall, some might view these as nostalgic callbacks or homages and some might say it wreaks of lower budget, but the supernatural effects give off a Flash Gordon, 1970's vibe that is hard to ignore but honestly to this viewer it has a sort of charm that I just push more to the nostalgia. 

WHY CHAMPION THIS MOVIE: Listen a movie with flaws doesn't mean it's a terrible movie. If you let the message sink in and wash over you, I think this movie has a lot to offer anyone who might be a state of flux or just loves to be challenge thought wise. The story here is solid and the acting has moments that enhance and sell it for sure. I definitely say give it a chance. 

YOU CAN WATCH IT HERE