In a Goodly Way

If your bag is talented new voices in raw, ultra-violent, psychologically surreal independent cinema on a shoestring, this is your 20 oz. Filet Mignon! With dialog hearkening back to turn-of-the-20th-century, moonshine-soaked characters one imagines could only be encountered wandering aimlessly along the most turd-in-a-bucket Appalachian backwoods, young breakout star (and co-writer) Nate Bernot, playing the meekly hirsute, schizophrenic sadist Simon Carmichael, commits to Matt Hewitt's direction in a way that's guaranteed to stick in your craw long after the credits roll. Next to Bernot, perhaps the most crucial role is logged by composer Aaron Olson's gorgeously jarring, horn-laden score, which hovers above the audience on its deranged descent down In A Goodly Way's relentlessly ruthless rabbit hole. While it's apparent this film's tongue is planted firmly in cheek, In A Goodly Way might just make you wish the earth was flatter than a Manischewitz matzo cracker, so a few horrible bastards could simply be swept off the edge. Highly recommended!