Ghosts Never Sleep (2005)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Steve Freedman

Writers:

Steve Freedman (writer)
Christopher Joyce (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

She won't forgive. He can't forget.

Plot:

The story revolves around Jared, a struggling writer haunted by a tragic past, who is pushed to the breaking point with fatal consequences...

Cast

Tony Goldwyn	...	Jared Dolan
Faye Dunaway	...	Kathleen Dolan
Sean Young	...	Rebecca
Shea Alexander	...	Melissa Weiss
Joe Rose	...	Cole
Jason Stuart	...	Barry Speer
Michael Phenicie	...	Michael Dolan
Lee Solters	...	Talk Show Host
Michelle Van Wagner	...	Young Kathleen
Brenda Isaacs Booth	...	Landlady
Nicole Ghastin	...	Carla (Stripper 1)
Trisha Simmons	...	Reporter #1
Brian Sheehan	...	Reporter #2
Liam Booth	...	Aidan
Bill Devlin	...	Forensic Photographer

Also Known As:

Kill Switch (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexuality, nudity and some drug use.

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Kill Switch LLC

Soundtrack:

Bow Down

A Compelling Debut

I just saw this film at the Rome Internaional Film Festival in Rome, Ga -- mainly because of Faye Dunaway, and because the majority of these festival films never make it onto disc. From the start you know it's low budget: the lighting and cinematography aren't, shall we say, top flight. But what a story -- clearly autobiographical at some level, when you consider it's told from the perspective of a struggling screenwriter -- and the pacing,, which is erratic at first, begins to approach Pakula or Friedkin level. The vanity common among aging actresses doesn't prevent Dunaway from turning in a weirdly compelling performance as the Irishman's damage-controlling widow, despite her erratic brogue. Sean Young has seldom been so sympathetic --and never looked sexier, IMHO. Tony Goldwyn looks like Aidan Quinn and does a convincing paranoid. But I couldn't take my eyes off Shea Alexander as the pathetic, coke-driven, sex-obsessed producer Melissa Weiss: her performance leaves a lot to be desired, but one gets the sense of someone who's been there, or at least seen it with her own eyes. I'm looking forward to Steve Freedman's next film. I'm sure it will be worth watching -- and that a bigger budget will have nothing to do with it.