Steven Joyner (Leon Addison Brown) is deep in the throes of grief. It's been well over a month since the passing of his son, Neil, after a freak accident caused his car to crash into the ocean in the middle of the night; Neil's body was never found, and Steven is still haunted by the images of police lights cutting through the darkness. Feeling aimless after his loss, Steven takes the advice of his therapist, Andrea (Whoopi Goldberg), who suggests hobbies, work, or other distractions as a coping mechanism. Andrea ends the session by reminding him, "We've all lost people we've loved." As he's leaving work after his first day back, Steven is approached by a mysterious gentleman (Jeffrey Wright) who introduces himself as Vincent and says he knew Neil from work. The two grab a drink, where Vincent speaks in riddles and eventually leaves Steven with a special invitation to Atrabilious, the bar at which Neil had worked.
Upon arriving at the bar, Steven is unnerved by the staff's insistence on anonymity and confidentiality, but is intrigued nonetheless when introduced to a process called Cocktail Bereavement Coordination. Described as a way to help the patient process grief "in the right way," this practice involves helping the patient forget their trauma entirely and move on with their life after only a few sessions. Despite Atrabilious' insistence that they're helping people - repeating Andrea's sentiments that "everyone has lost people they love" - Steven begins to suspect not only a conspiracy, but also that his son may still be alive.
Atrabilious - which a title card reminds us means "melancholy or ill-tempered" - is the second feature film from young writer/director William Atticus Parker. Though his first outing, Forty Winks, was a practical buffet of film student indulgence, Parker's directorial talent in this sophomore effort is certainly more purposeful and specific, in addition to swapping out monochromatic cinematography for a kind of neon surrealism instead. His camera explores scenes at a personal distance, with abundant closeups to give each scene intense intimacy and put you right in the middle of the drama. Though his work here may not be as flashy as Forty Winks, it's certainly a lot more disciplined.
What he does maintain from that first feature is a memorable curation of cast and characters. Aside from the subdued lead role from Brown, there are plenty of other amusing characters throughout, such as Alec Baldwin's Carlilse, a less-competent version of a James Spader role; he's more concerned with his espresso martini than anything else. But it's Mark Boone Junior's performance as Eduard Gillespie which truly elevates the film. The mere presence he brings to each scene allows him to find intensity no matter the situation. He also delivers a villainous and thematically-relevant monologue during the film's climactic moments.
As a whole, Atrabilious creates a telling trend for Parker as a devoted and promising young filmmaker. With a better budget to allow for more consistent sound design and smoother edits, he could certainly become a force to reckon with in the years to come. And despite these minor nitpicks, Atrabilious is still everything you want in a low-budget sophomore feature; it successfully delivers a sophisticated look at how we process (and often battle) grief and the lines we're capable of crossing for the sake of our loved ones.
Upon arriving at the bar, Steven is unnerved by the staff's insistence on anonymity and confidentiality, but is intrigued nonetheless when introduced to a process called Cocktail Bereavement Coordination. Described as a way to help the patient process grief "in the right way," this practice involves helping the patient forget their trauma entirely and move on with their life after only a few sessions. Despite Atrabilious' insistence that they're helping people - repeating Andrea's sentiments that "everyone has lost people they love" - Steven begins to suspect not only a conspiracy, but also that his son may still be alive.
Atrabilious - which a title card reminds us means "melancholy or ill-tempered" - is the second feature film from young writer/director William Atticus Parker. Though his first outing, Forty Winks, was a practical buffet of film student indulgence, Parker's directorial talent in this sophomore effort is certainly more purposeful and specific, in addition to swapping out monochromatic cinematography for a kind of neon surrealism instead. His camera explores scenes at a personal distance, with abundant closeups to give each scene intense intimacy and put you right in the middle of the drama. Though his work here may not be as flashy as Forty Winks, it's certainly a lot more disciplined.
What he does maintain from that first feature is a memorable curation of cast and characters. Aside from the subdued lead role from Brown, there are plenty of other amusing characters throughout, such as Alec Baldwin's Carlilse, a less-competent version of a James Spader role; he's more concerned with his espresso martini than anything else. But it's Mark Boone Junior's performance as Eduard Gillespie which truly elevates the film. The mere presence he brings to each scene allows him to find intensity no matter the situation. He also delivers a villainous and thematically-relevant monologue during the film's climactic moments.
As a whole, Atrabilious creates a telling trend for Parker as a devoted and promising young filmmaker. With a better budget to allow for more consistent sound design and smoother edits, he could certainly become a force to reckon with in the years to come. And despite these minor nitpicks, Atrabilious is still everything you want in a low-budget sophomore feature; it successfully delivers a sophisticated look at how we process (and often battle) grief and the lines we're capable of crossing for the sake of our loved ones.