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Cast: Chad Lindberg, Brendan Fehr, Tania Raymonde, Natassia Malthe, Beatrice Rosen
A young man (Brendan Fehr) whose life has been on hold for ten years while he mourns the tragic death of his high school girlfriend falls for a waitress who is the spitting image of his lost love, while his best friend (Chad Lindberg) urges him to move on.
Don't let the DVD art-work fool you, the film is not a horror film like it might lead you to believe, also I think the original title "The Other Side of The Tracks" was perfect since a lot of the film including the main incident took place on railroad tracks so the name really did not need changed either. As the film opens we learn that Josh is still haunted by a tragic accident that took place 10-years before that claimed the life of his girlfriend. Everyone around him seems to be constantly telling Josh to move on with his life including his mother and friend Rusty who after being gone since the accident reappears in town. Things get even more confusing for Josh and the audience when a young woman, Amelia shows up at the Trackside diner where john works to apply for the waitress job when the place reopens in a week. Amelia looks just like Josh's girlfriend, Emily. From the time Amelia enters into the story till the one hour more you question if she is real or just in Josh's mind, shortly after that when she is talking to Rusty you learn the two of them are some how connected as well by a secret which just adds to the over-all mystery of the story. The story is slow moving and it only has two spots in it that could be called little spooky but like I said before this isn't a horror. "The Haunting of Amelia" is a supernatural romance/drama that is more about it's characters and story than about having scary special effects. To me that is what made the film as entertaining as it was, even though the story is slow moving it keeps you interested and guessing on what is going on, the film provides a few nice twists, the major one coming at the end that tie everything up nicely. While the ending fits the proceedings perfecting it is still left open for everyone to have their own opinions on. Some may view it and the story as a whole as a tragedy while others might see it as a kind of closure for this tormented soul. I suggest not reading into the details of the film much from anywhere because this is a film that needs to be seen and not told about to be appreciated. Different than what I expected but a good little Indie either way.
This was Writer/Director, A.D. Calvo's first feature length film and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next because he certainly has an eye for mystery and good story-telling. The cast did a terrific job including, Brendan Fehr as Josh and Chad Lindberg as Rusty. I have always like Lindberg and I think he is a terrific character actor that always brings an edge with him. Tania Raymonde is also excellent as Amelia, she is as talented as she is beautiful. The production values over-all were great considering the budget and the music used in the film fit every scene perfectly. "The Haunting of Amelia" is a hard movie to talk about without ruinng it for others but if you like films like "The Sixth Sense" then I recommend picking this up as well. Engaging, haunting and thought-provoking all come to mind here, a film that demands multiple viewings to help piece the story together because the clues are there but their well hidden. I highly recommend checking this out. You can order the DVD HERE.
Released by MTI Home Video
*** 1/2 Out Of *****