After the death of his father, a young man named Barret (Robert DiPatri) moves to a new town with his mother in search of a new beginning. His first day of school is horrible and everything that could go wrong...does. An outcast loner by the name of Ryan (Eion Bailey) helps him out and the two form an unlikely friendship. However, when Barret starts making new friends and Ryan's philosophical mindset about the world begins to grow more violent, things start to spiral out of control. Ryan begins to fall deeper into hatred and Barret struggles to escape it.
This film is excellent. It is a dark look at teen violence and is extremely moving and powerful. The dialogue is crisp and real throughout. Never is the dialogue overbearing or too long and it is often very moving. Watch for the scenes with Barret and Ryan on the beach and the voiceover in the end for some of the high points. The cinematography is great and Pereira has found the most beautiful location spots in New Jersey. The acting of the two main characters is superb and the rest of the cast shines in his and her roles. Finally, the plot itself is gripping. It constantly keeps the audience wondering what will happen next and the ending climaxes to a breath-taking finale.
Watch many Independent films and you will see an Independent film. The quality is often low and the locations can sometimes be counted on one hand. But watch A Better Place and you will not see an Independent film. Pereira has done more than can be imagined with a final budget of $50,000 and it is definitely a high budget looking film with a low budget price. Too often now-a-days, large companies are Greenlighting and producing horrible movies that contain the worst acting and the most asinine plots you could imagine. It's refreshing to finally see someone make a movie of such high caliber. Vincent Pereira has done this with flying colors for A Better Place.
