Emotionally Charged Tale Leaves Viewers Wanting More

Read Time:3 Minute, 32 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
What Ever Happened to Jonny Faith
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Genre: Short, Drama
Year Released: 2023
Runtime: 24m
Director(s): Benjamin Pollack
Writer(s): Benjamin Pollack
Cast: Frank Noon, Wayne Knight, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Patrick McGill, Debbie Pollack, Alexandra Wright, Gary Nohealii, Jeanette O’Connor, Fritz Coleman, Margo Parker, Ashley Rowden, Rusty Anderson
Where To Watch: premieres at the LA Shorts Fest on July 20, at 1 pm PDT at the Regal Cinema LA LIVE. See more here, www.lashortsfest.com

RAVING REVIEW: In WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JONNY FAITH, we’re introduced to the eponymous Jonny Faith (Frank Noon,) a country music luminary who once outshone even Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley at the zenith of their careers. However, he seemingly evaporated from the star-studded world as abruptly as he had appeared, leaving fans and the music industry questioning.

As we take this voyage, we examine this story; we see a past imbued with potent themes of love, remorse, reconciliation, and rebirth. At the heart of this cinematic puzzle is Jonny's mission to seek atonement for his past, riddled with guilt, and to bridge the chasm with his estranged son before the sands of time run out.

Benjamin Pollack's adept direction, coupled with a dynamic soundtrack from the combined talents of Frank Noon, Bruce Greenwood, and Rusty Anderson, creates a spectacle to remember in WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JONNY FAITH. It takes the audience through a journey between various emotions, indelibly etching this experience onto their minds. My biggest issue would be the short runtime (obviously, it was created as a short, but I wanted more depth into this story, there’s a lot of potential for this world to exist on a larger scale.)

Traveling back to the glow of the 1980s, Jonny Faith was a beacon of captivating charisma. His music was an intoxicating brew of raw emotion and charm, while his artistic depth was undeniably deep. His life was further given purpose by his romance with Alice (Margo Parker,) a whirlwind of passion that brought more to his existence. Their life together unfolded as a thrilling script, filled with tender and exhilarating moments.

An unexpected and sudden change was a seismic event that left Jonny in shambles. Swallowed by grief, he walked away from the limelight, retreating into anonymity and settling into a humble existence that echoed his days before stardom in a simple American trailer.

Jonny is again confronted with a grave hurdle in his later days. In these final chapters of his life, Jonny embarks on a mission to make the best of his last days the best way he can before his final bow. This odyssey of redemption and forgiveness is the heart of WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JONNY FAITH.

While the narrative successfully keeps the viewers riveted, a more nuanced exploration of character development or a detailed depiction of Jonny's climb to stardom could've provided more meat in the short runtime. But these are minor quibbles in the broader scope of the film's primary mission. When the final credits roll, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JONNY FAITH succeeds in presenting an emotionally charged narrative that will resonate with viewers.

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[photo courtesy of BENVENTION FILMS]

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