Shedding

In a 2020 world, we're learning the importance of shedding some things. For the characters in this beautifully told fantasy, shedding goes far beyond skin-deep. On the surface, a cat mysteriously turns into a human for a day. But Shedding, the film, is so much more. As the cat explores the wonders of the outside world, we explore the power of just being present for someone. This would be a far less impactful film without the extraordinary talent of director and actors. It is a powerful story well told. Bravo to all. Even the actual cats are absolutely great. I completely believed that the lost cat had transformed into a person. My heart ached for the kind woman who clothed and fed him. I understood the frustration of her daughter, fearing for her mother's safety and sanity. Don't you love when a movie takes all of your expectations; then turns them around and delivers something so much deeper? My acid test for a great film is whether or not I'm still thinking about it hours, or even days, after I've watched it. Shedding is one of those films.

Full disclosure: I'm related to the writer/director and the producer, however, I'm not a pushover and I can be an even tougher sell. But as I watched this film, I found myself weeping without even knowing it---hot tears pouring down my cheeks in the middle of the afternoon. Somehow, this very quiet film spoke to me so very much. Do I have an unanswered question or two: hell yeah. Did I have to suspend my disbelief throughout most of the film: most definitely. Something like this couldn't REALLY happen. But it's really lovely and you don't have to be a cat person to appreciate the lessons learned. That said, if you are a cat person, best of luck trying to get through the home movie footage at the end without running to the nearest shelter. TEN STARS. (Plus an extra one for Panda and his rascally brother, both of whom are naturals in front of the camera.)

I really enjoyed this film even though I had no idea what to expect. I actually found myself relating a cat and I'm not even a cat person. Be prepared though. It's not your typical movie but it's an artistic take on love and grief.

A little film with a big heart and an important message. Shot on a iPhone, this film goes to prove that it is much more important to have ideas and to tell well a universal story. Well done to all involved.

Shedding is a retro-magical fantasy with a narrative structure created through an inventive use of music, camera work, editing, and actor-body language that reminds of the French New Wave movement of the late '50s.

Shedding is the story of a Panda, a bored house cat who longs to escape his life and go outside-and with the slight tinkling of a wind chime in the breeze, Panda gets his wish: he transforms into a human. And during his daylong journey in the outside world, he helps a grieving mother and daughter at odds over the loss of their son and brother, find peace.

If you haven't guessed: Shedding isn't an A-List Hollywood cute-cat movie starring Will Ferrell with an over-the-top interpretation of a human-cat romancing a career-driven Kristen Wiig and redeeming mom Lin Shayne's broken soul. This is a film about, just what the title says: shedding. About shedding one's pains, wants, and needs. About finding a "new coat" through coping and bonding with others-and finding an acceptance and "rebirth" in our lives.

As is the case with the works of Claude Chabrol (La Femme infidel), Jean-Luc Godard (Breathless), and Francois Truffaut (400 Blows) this feature film debut by Jake Thomas (award-winning shorts Blessed are the Peacemakers, One on One) is a film of subjectivity and ambiguity; an existential commentary on the human condition through the mind of a cat, the relationships animals have with humans, and how animals help humans deal with the emotions of loss and longing. It's a film that, as the credits roll, you're left wondering: Was it real or was it a dream. And if it was a dream, were the human's part of the cat's dream, or vice versa. Did the cat help the humans gain a better understanding of their lives, or the humans of the cat?

As I previously discussed in my guest reviews at B&S About Movies: Recent, individual reviews of the indie-minimalist masterworks The In-Between by Mindy Bledsoe, Wicca Book by Vahagn Karapetyan, Space by Monte Light, Same Boat by Chris Roberti, Double Riddle by Fernando Castro Sanguino, and Ghost by Anthony Z. James these modestly-budgeted tales from the John Cassavetes narrative school of filmmaking that focus on characters and story and shot with handheld cameras, available lighting, and spontaneous actor improvisation isn't easily digested by a mass audience -- an audience that most likely dismisses the iPhone-based films of first-time filmmakers Jody Barton and James Cullen Bressack (For Jennifer) and have no interest in the recent low-budgeted, iPhone-shot works of multi-award winning director Stephen Soderbergh (Unsane).

Inspired by the likes of his fellow filmmakers who started their careers with low budget DIY feature films, such as Christopher Nolan (Following), Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi), and Kevin Smith (Clerks), Thomas, who's worked as a script reader and other various film disciplines for Lakeshore Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros., began crafting a "storytelling experiment" capturing footage of his cats on an iPhone with the intent of placing the audience in the mind of an animal protagonist. After pouring through the hours and hours of archival footage of his cats to weave a narrative, he then spent the next twelve days iPhone-shooting the second act of his live action fairy tale that worked with a combination of script and actor improvisation.

Know. I know. I keep coming back to Will Eubank analogies.

But it's true: If Will Eubank was able to make the transition with his under-the-radar, low-budget science fiction dramas Love (2011) and The Signal (2014) to directing Underwater, a major motion picture for 20th Century Fox, the same good fortune will come to Jake Thomas.

It's not the technology. It's not the "cost" of the filmmaking tool. It's the person behind the technology that creates great film. And Shedding isn't just a great film-it's an incredible film.