Waking Karma

A small film with sincere intentions, but fails to live up to its full potential. The film is co-directed by Carlos Montaner and Liz Fania Werner and focuses on Karma, the daughter of a cult leader who murdered 11 people. The film is set up like a "fugitive family" thriller, with Karma and her mother, Sunny, trying to escape the cult and live off-the-grid. The film makes the most of its minimal budget with a strong cast and an interesting storyline, but the filmmaking is often unmemorable and the editing is haphazard.

Despite these missteps, the film has some standout performances, particularly from Hannah Christine Shetler who brings an impressive range to her role as Karma. Michael Madsen's portrayal of the cult leader, Paul, is also noteworthy. Overall, "Waking Karma" is a heartfelt film that falls short in its execution, but is still worth watching for its performances and story.