The adroit and emotionally fulfilling Aporia, Jared Moshé’s sci-fi chamber piece allows for the national treasure that is Judy Greer to take center stage. New on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.
The Film
Smart Science Fiction is hard enough. Smart and emotionally connective Science Fiction is a tightrope that few can walk. Aporia, the third feature film writer/director Jared Moshé, proves to be one of the few.
Aporia streamlines everything to its barest minimum to give the clearest line of sight for a story that could buckle under the complex webs of machinations that time travel has. The film’s concepts are grounded in emotions rather than theory. The pebble into the pond and the ripple effect that pebble has into the world. It’s a brilliant bit of writing that Moshé grounds everything in a concept that everyone has been through or will go through; the loss of a loved one.
Doubling down on the brilliance is the casting of Judy Greer in the lead. Greer over the last two decades has acquired a resume of truly great supporting performances in projects as varied as Arrested Development to 13 Going on 30 to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to the recent David Gordon Green Halloween Trilogy. In a rare turn, Greer leads the ship and one could not think of anyone else in the role. Her work is refined, brittle, and heartbreaking. The moments in the beginning as at every turn there’s setback after setback until we see her breakdown is a master class of contained frustration. Her work here as she gets a second chance at a once ruined life is where she soars.
The way that Greer’s work so eloquently and beautifully supports the work of co-stars Edi Gathegi and Payman Maadi is a testament to Greer never letting her character actor instinct go. The way the three work through the issues and dilemmas faced as they gain a powerful tool/weapon is that rare occurrence on film. That heated discussion of consequence actually matters and not because the script dictates it.
Moshé’s direction as it was in The Ballad of Lefty Brown is elegant, refined, and always character-focused. There’s an economical docu-drama style he and cinematographer Nicholas Bupp shoot the suburbs of Los Angeles that, much like Benson & Morehead’s Something In the Dirt, gives us both a sense of wonder and beauty but unease in certain sections. Like Lefty Brown Moshe manages to place us visually into the emotional state of these characters a talent fewer and fewer directors possess.
Those who love the kind of witty lo-fi science fiction work that filmmakers like Benson & Morehead or Darren Aronofsky, will find Moshé’s latest a surprising addition to their collection.
The Transfer
The transfer provided to Well Go USA is nearly flawless. The digitally shot feature looks beautiful on Blu-ray, consistently sharp with beautiful contrast and black levels, and without any digital artifacting or any concerns about the image.
The Extras
They include the following;
Behind the scenes
Trailer
Behind the scenes (18:23) – do not skip this making-of featurette. More than your standard EPK-based behind-the-scenes featurette. Using a combination of b-roll footage, and interviews with the cast and crew go into the making of the film, working with Moshé and his crew, the themes of the film, the designing of the machine, how he was able to shoot in Los Angeles and why, and much more. This is a full-on making of with comments by writer/director Moshé, actors Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi, Whitney Morgan Scott, and others.
Trailer (2:27)
The Final Thought
Aporia is smart genre filmmaking. Well Go USA has gotten another surprise genre entry to their staple of great films and filmmakers. Recommended!!!
The adroit and emotionally fulfilling Aporia, Jared Moshé’s sci-fi chamber piece allows for the national treasure that is Judy Greer to take center stage. New on Blu-ray from Well Go USA.
The Film
Smart Science Fiction is hard enough. Smart and emotionally connective Science Fiction is a tightrope that few can walk. Aporia, the third feature film writer/director Jared Moshé, proves to be one of the few.
Aporia streamlines everything to its barest minimum to give the clearest line of sight for a story that could buckle under the complex webs of machinations that time travel has. The film’s concepts are grounded in emotions rather than theory. The pebble into the pond and the ripple effect that pebble has into the world. It’s a brilliant bit of writing that Moshé grounds everything in a concept that everyone has been through or will go through; the loss of a loved one.
Doubling down on the brilliance is the casting of Judy Greer in the lead. Greer over the last two decades has acquired a resume of truly great supporting performances in projects as varied as Arrested Development to 13 Going on 30 to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to the recent David Gordon Green Halloween Trilogy. In a rare turn, Greer leads the ship and one could not think of anyone else in the role. Her work is refined, brittle, and heartbreaking. The moments in the beginning as at every turn there’s setback after setback until we see her breakdown is a master class of contained frustration. Her work here as she gets a second chance at a once ruined life is where she soars.
The way that Greer’s work so eloquently and beautifully supports the work of co-stars Edi Gathegi and Payman Maadi is a testament to Greer never letting her character actor instinct go. The way the three work through the issues and dilemmas faced as they gain a powerful tool/weapon is that rare occurrence on film. That heated discussion of consequence actually matters and not because the script dictates it.
Moshé’s direction as it was in The Ballad of Lefty Brown is elegant, refined, and always character-focused. There’s an economical docu-drama style he and cinematographer Nicholas Bupp shoot the suburbs of Los Angeles that, much like Benson & Morehead’s Something In the Dirt, gives us both a sense of wonder and beauty but unease in certain sections. Like Lefty Brown Moshe manages to place us visually into the emotional state of these characters a talent fewer and fewer directors possess.
Those who love the kind of witty lo-fi science fiction work that filmmakers like Benson & Morehead or Darren Aronofsky, will find Moshé’s latest a surprising addition to their collection.
The Transfer
The transfer provided to Well Go USA is nearly flawless. The digitally shot feature looks beautiful on Blu-ray, consistently sharp with beautiful contrast and black levels, and without any digital artifacting or any concerns about the image.
The Extras
They include the following;
Behind the scenes (18:23) – do not skip this making-of featurette. More than your standard EPK-based behind-the-scenes featurette. Using a combination of b-roll footage, and interviews with the cast and crew go into the making of the film, working with Moshé and his crew, the themes of the film, the designing of the machine, how he was able to shoot in Los Angeles and why, and much more. This is a full-on making of with comments by writer/director Moshé, actors Judy Greer, Edi Gathegi, Payman Maadi, Whitney Morgan Scott, and others.
Trailer (2:27)
The Final Thought
Aporia is smart genre filmmaking. Well Go USA has gotten another surprise genre entry to their staple of great films and filmmakers. Recommended!!!
Well Go USA’s Blu-Ray edition of Aporia is out now
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