The Least of These

I'm originally from Baltimore and outside of Barry Levinson have never seen a filmmaker so perfectly use Charm City as a backdrop to great storytelling. I've seen hundreds of short films (even made a few myself) and what sets 'The Least of These' above 99% of the rest isn't the visible talent of which there is abundance. It's much more. This film has guts. It smacks the audience right in the face with the realization that things are not as they should be. People should treat each other as valuable because of those inalienable things our Maker instills in every single one of us. We all have hurts and pains. The important thing is reach out to others in the same spirit we wish others to reach out to us.

"The Least of These" explores the human condition with sincerity. I think the story is a beautiful example of the good we are capable of. The director did a fantastic job of showing a point of view sometimes overlooked by our society.

The film was shot in a way that was appropriate for the story. There were no gratuitous camera motions, or extreme editing techniques. The setting of the story was a great choice and full of characters we have all met at some point in our lives. The lighting was well done and matched the mood of the film perfectly. It was simply a good story well told.

I had heard of the story before seeing the film and was happily surprised by the commitment of the director to bring the story to life.

I was inspired by this film and look forward to future works from this director.

Swartzwelder crafts an atmospheric slice of diner subculture with a group reminiscent of Sarte's "No Exit" in their tired despair and dislike of one another. The careful attention to details such as the reflection of faces in the greasy toaster makes this film a pleasure to watch over and over. The original score is perfect, helping to create the mood Swartzwelder is aiming for. The acting is strong, some of the characters are right out of Steinbeck.

I use this film in my sociology class to demonstrate the social conditions that foster entrapment and cynicism, as well as the those that open the door to hope and freedom. Although the film's subtext is somewhat subtle the students are inevitably provoked into serious reflection and introspection by the film.

I was at the DC Screening of this movie and was really blown away by the scenery, the cinematographer's's vision was superb and the actors were wonderful. Actually it reminds me very much of the views in Collateral. The same color, gritty and the actuality of the surrounding. Well actually this movie came out far before Collateral and Michael Mann is awesome so I guess that is saying something about this movie. The silent pauses...the looks...etc.. And I want to especially shout out to Felix Stevenson who reminds me of an old time actor who said few words but had huge presence..Clint Eastwood.

Sherrie

This film is a great study of people interaction but it is an even better film with the message of how do we really live our faith. We premiered it to an audience of Jr and Sr High students in a youth ministry setting and they were so overwhelmed they were speechless. That is a pretty hard task and this film was so impactful it took them a moment to really verbalize their impressions and feelings.

I would, and do, highly recommend this film as a great tool for opening up discussion with youth about their faith and the responsibilities of living their beliefs. The fantastic thing about this film is that it also can, and should, be used with adults to open up dialog about the same topics. It crosses many age lines.