Captain Black (2018) Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival

Mike, a restaurant manager, whose life is a mess, discovers the comic book about the heroes Captain Black and Kitt Vixen. He is so taken with the character that he dresses as the hero for a costume party. Hooking up for a one night stand with a woman dressed as Kitt Vixen, his life is thrown into chaos when he discovers who the young woman really is. It’s an encounter that leaves him shaken and re-evaluating his life up to this point and reaching for a way to go on.

Captain Black is a one of those dramas that hangs with you. A portrait of a lost soul writer/director/star Jeffrey Johnson has made a film that is raises any number of issues and leaves one pondering. I was left wondering about how do we handle the choices we make and the repercussions that follow? The key twist, which I am intentionally being vague about, forces us to ponder what about the choices we make not knowing all the facts- facts which would have made the choice a no go. It’s easy to understand why Mike is shattered as a result.

This is a good little drama. Johnson has fashioned a script that gives us a whole slew of engaging characters for us to root for and then turns up the heat. While things can be a little rambling at times, it is never fatal and ultimately works in the film’s favor allowing for a nice shading to everything and everyone. We get a sense of life beyond the sides of the screen.

Ultimately what makes Captain Black of interest is the fact that Jeffrey Johnson has made a film that doesn’t follow the typical inde film path. It is a film that attempts to deal with serious subjects in a non-cliché way. While it isn’t always perfect it, still manages to force the audience to engage with it. In an age where so many films simpkly are empty eye candy it is delightful to find a film that strives to do more.

Worth a look.