alienatedposter
Film poster for Alienated, showing the main cast Alienated

Written and directed by Brian Ackley, "Alienated" explores the issues surrounding a relationship between a husband and wife and the problems that can arise in a marriage.

When Nate (George Katt) sees a UFO he tries to convince his wife Paige (Jen Burry) of his truthfulness, causing a growing amount of tension between the couple.

The film starts off with a montage of well-drawn images accompanied by a frenetic and slightly off-beat music track, which gives a lot of energy to the beginning. However, the music slowly tapers off, giving the majority of the film a more sedentary feel. The images themselves provide a subtle allusion to the potential state of Nate and Paige’s marriage before the audience is well and truly in the film, yet can be interpreted in a variety of ways, making it an intriguing opening scene.

Both George Katt and Jen Burry, who play Nate and Paige, are slightly stiff and awkward in their acting around each other in their first few scenes together. They quickly lose this and are able to convincingly portray their characters as if they have always been married.

Whilst their acting quickly moves past their first scene together, the film seems to make use of consistently bright lighting throughout the movie. In fact, many of the scenes were over lit, but this is perhaps deliberate; a way to highlight certain aspects of a scene.

"Alienated" is predominately a dialogue-driven film which provides a pleasant change from the excessive amounts of action and movement in some feature films. With two main characters and only one supporting character, Taylor Negron who plays Griffin, the scenes felt more intimate and realistic for an action movie.

Although he plays a supporting role, Taylor Negron’s character is important in bringing a more moderate and introspective voice to a film whose dialogue (between George Katt and Jen Burry) is largely quick and full of energy. He is an interpreter; allowing for a more philosophical view of the interactions between Katt’s and Burry’s characters.

While there is a large build-up of tension throughout the film, it falls short at the ending dialogue between Nate and Paige, which felt slightly rushed and anticlimactic. However, the ending themes and visuals, accompanied by the eclectic music were just as well thought out as the first scene, providing a nice balance between the beginning and the end.

"Alienated," which has been shown at several film festivals over 2015, will be released in selected theatres in late March, 2016.

Rating: 3 out of 5