Review: Blessid

Synopsis:

Sarah Duncliffe (played by Rachel Kerbs) battles suicidal thoughts and disturbing hallucinations of her deceased sister (a victim of a tragic childhood accident), an abusive ex-boyfriend who continues to stalk her, and the banal existence of an empty marriage. Weeks away from delivering a child that she feels undeserving to parent, Sarah finds her life taking a surprising turn when she accidentally meets her new neighbor who harbors an amazing life secret and shares a personal connection that will change her forever.

Directed by Rob Fitz (“God of Vampires”) with cinematography by Silas Tyler, BLESSID stars Rachel Kerbs (“Splinter”), Rick Montgomery Jr. (“Chill,” “Aimy in a Cage”), Gene Silvers (“Law & Order” franchise), and Chris DiVecchio (“Wolf Moon,” “Ghost Whisperer”). The film was written and produced by Bob Heske (“Waiting” starring Richard Schiff) and John E. Seymore (“You Can’t Kill Stephen King”). BLESSID features an original score from award-winning composer Federico Chávez-Blanco (“From Zimbabwe to Santa Fe”) and music tracks from Sarah Blacker, Duke Levine, and The Jinxes.

What We Thought:

Blessid is a nice little indie drama with good visuals and style. It also has strong performances from Rachel Kerbs and Rick Montgomery Jr.

Both actors have a really good back & forth and play off each other quite well. You’re never quite sure if Montgomery’s character is on the up and up or if there’s more to him till much later in the film. You don’t know if Kerbs’ character is imagining things or if there is more to her neighbor.

Then there’s a big reveal and I won’t spoil it. I can say I certainly didn’t see THAT coming. It doesn’t feel forced or out of context as the film closes out. In fact, it’s a pretty smart twist that takes the film to a whole other level.

I’m not familiar with Kerbs at all, but I thought she was pretty darn great in this. She had great on screen presence and really held your attention throughout. She handles the manic scenes quite well and dominates every scene she’s in. Her and Montgomery made a good pair.

Then there’s the film’s style and visuals. Director Rob Fitz has really fluid camera movement which gives the film a good look and style. It’s very haunting in a lot scenes especially with the film’s score. I may know Fitz best as a make up/effects guy, but he shows a new range of talent with his overlapping visuals and tone. I was really impressed with his shots from the water looking up at the boat and his use of flashbacks without relying on them as heavily as others. The film could have felt bogged down with flashbacks to give backstory, but none of them felt out of place and never took you out of the movie.

If I’m to nitpick the film, my one complaint would be that the husband character and the abusive ex character could have been merged into one character. Once the husband goes on his business trip, he’s completely unnecessary and doesn’t show up till the very end. Then the abusive ex comes in and he’s important to the story, but you probably could have just made the husband the abusive one who doesn’t like the friendship his wife and neighbor are developing. Sure the husband is vital at the very end, but you could have worked around it. Both treat the wife poorly in their own ways and neither are on screen together at the same time.

But honestly that’s the only slight I see in Blessid and it’s just a personal opinion/thought. I enjoyed the film and will keep my eye on Kerbs’ career. Fitz directs a pretty tight drama with strong visuals and tone. You can see it on Amazon Prime right now and if you like indie dramas with style, then it is…

RECOMMENDED!

Cast & Crew

• Rachel Kerbs
• Rick Montgomery Jr.
• Director Rob Fitz