MicroCinema Scene

William (J.R.A. Schaeffer) has a disturbed, abusive father and a troubled sister; and compounding the family secrets at home is the fact that he has just lost his job.  On the way back after getting fired he sees a young woman leave a baby in a dumpster, and tries to do a good deed that ends up a disaster.  In its aftermath, William is sent on a bizarre voyage of self-discovery, and ultimately redemption.

Writer/Director Jason Torrey’s God is Alone is an unusual effort, ripe with portent and rife with religious symbolism.  Strong performances from the magnetic Schaeffer and the repulsive Jeffrey Thomas (as his father) anchor some striking visuals and evocative music.

Unlike a lot of slender microcinema efforts, God is Alone is a hefty 104 minutes, and despite some powerful passages is in danger of being a shade overlong.  Torrey often lingers on Schaeffer’s angular, mute face and piercing gaze, and seems a bit in love with his growly metal soundtrack, evoking mini-music videos at times; and one subplot in particular, involving the baby’s reluctant father, veers quite a distance away from the main story.  A few technical problems in video and audio are smoothed over by the use of black and white, and a minimalist script.

But Jason Torrey deserves a lot of credit for creating a moody, evocative piece which aims to provoke deeper thoughts and discussions.  God is Alone is a dense, layered work that makes a few missteps but aims for lofty goals.

Three and a half stars.

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