REVIEW: UNDER GLASS

UNDER GLASS, written by Colin Wilson & Jay Mclendon, directed by Jay Mclendon is a slice-of-life kind of film about the trials and tribulations of being a rideshare driver.

It's not so much a linear path story, but rather a series of encounters with a wide variety of passengers that our laconic driver (Mitchell Brinkley III) interacts with over the course of multiple shifts. If you have ever worked a hum-drum, repetitive job that included dealing with the public, this film should conjure up a wave of memories for you.

Shot mostly in grainy black and white on a green screen with B-roll for the bulk of the exterior shots, the film jumps around from ride to ride and passenger to passenger with little rhyme or reason. It feels very much like an indie film from the early 90's, with lots of dialogue and random-ish conversations, but this is by no means a bad thing. Cinematography-wise it's very raw, gritty, and rough around the edges, but that gives the film a "realness" that a slicker production would have lacked.

It's a very meditative film, the kind of movie that much like life, doesn't come with pefection or easy answers. Most of life is random, mundane, and weird, but also a mystery to untangle. If the production has one major flaw, it is marred by poor sound, something that probably requires a thorough remix.

The performances are strong for the most part, with Mitchell Brinkley III putting in a wonderfully understated turn as the driver that solidly carries the film. UNDER GLASS will probably not be for everyone, but for people who like weird, non-traditional narrative films that strongly evoke early-90's indie art films, this could be a great movie to check out. Available on Vimeo.