No Way to Live

No Way To Live is a surprise: a sweet, sick one.

Paying homage to classic noirs, this indie gem also has a sly voice of its own. As the story spirals, there are some neat cinematic flourishes sprinkled throughout that almost wink at the audience a bit. Like, "Hey, can you believe how lurid this $hi! Is getting?"

It's hard to make things look good on a limited budget and it's damn near impossible to capture another period (here, the 1950s) with little money, but the filmmakers do just that. I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Performances are strong all around, particularly Freya Tingley.

Give this movie a shot. A real one. Put your phone down and stick around for at least half an hour. You'll be rewarded by the ride.

I really enjoyed this film. Its hard to describe it without giving some of the twists away. There is a lot of twists. You think the film is simply about a black guy saving an innocent white girl from her sexually abusive father. However it turns out to be very different from what things appear. Then it turns out to be completely different from that. Despite this the film is easy to follow and the twists are genuinely surprising.

The interracial part of the story seemed to be put in as an after thought. The racism of 1950s Southern USA is touched upon but I am pretty sure the couple would have had more trouble from people than the little they did.

This has really good acting. The main and support cast are believable. The ending is poetic justice. It is a really enjoyable film.

No Way to Live is a thrilling and memorable film experience.

I rented this film on Amazon because I liked the title. It turned out to be a superbly made suspenseful period noir filled with plenty of twists and turns you'll never see coming.

It's visual flair hearkens back to the classic Douglus Sirk Melodramas of the 50's but the film manages to take what was once old and make it new and fresh again.

The soundtrack flips between period 50's rock and a haunting orchestral score that will keep you engaged and on the edge of your seat.

But the heart of this film are the electrifying performances by Freya Tingley and Tom Williamson, who play an interracial couple on the run in the segregated American South.

Their on screen chemistry is as good as it gets and It was refreshing to see such fleshed out characterization that is all too often missing in today's modern film world.

I'll be looking forward to revisiting this film many times in the years to come.

10/10

No Way To Live is a rare find. It's a Noir in the tradition of the the genre's literary innovators -- that in turn shaped the genre's golden age in film. Few modern thrillers take notes from these masters. There are obvious shades of James Cain's "Postman Always Rings Twice", Jim Thompson's "Hell of a Woman", and even Robert Edmond Alter's "Swamp Sister".

The film will keep you in relentless suspense, trying to guess the next move, as twists and turns abound (but, importantly, it never neglects having a healthy sense of humor). And Freya Tingley delivers a knockout performance as Nora Thompson. A major star-turn.

I watched this at a festival, and looking forward to listen to the commentary on the Blu-Ray release. Highly recommend!