Years ago everybody knew their neighbours just as well those famous ones that live on Ramsey Street. As time has passed though, we’ve become more and more distant from those that live closest to us. This loss of community is explored in writer / director Keven Tran’s feature debut, The Dark End of the Street. Set over the course of one day, the film hones in on a community that have found themselves the targets of a sadistic person whom is going around killing pets.
The Dark End of the Street doesn’t follow the typical narrative progression. Rather than have the traditional three-act structure, Tran opts instead to go down the slice-of-life method of story-telling. Over the course of the film we meet several residents – Marney (Brooke Bloom), the latest person to lose a pet, her neighbour Ian (Anthony Chisholm), the family across the street, the rowdy teenagers at the end of the street, and the newly moved in, Jim (Scott Friend), and his pregnant wife. We arguably spend the most time with Jim as we join him on a night out with his new friend, Richard (True Blood‘s Jim Parrack), but still get a good grasp of the types of people the rest of them are. We switch back and forth between everyone throughout the night and get little insights into how their respective household dynamics work. Although Tran might steer away from the conventional plot structure, he does keep pushing forwards momentum. As the film progresses, Tran slowly, almost imperceptibly, begins to build towards an almighty crescendo. Suddenly everything that has happened before starts to connect and then there’s an event that works really well to highlight the importance of getting to know your neighbours.
Tran clearly has a lot to say about the breakdown of suburbia, but he also touches upon feelings of paranoia, the plight of the blue-collar worker, and the battle between city and rural living. Along with all of that, he also manages to capture a slice of life of disaffected youth, and the loss of innocence. Further still, the film is an open letter to depression, loneliness, and the desperation for human connection. The latter three are feelings that many of us can relate to in the current climate. It’s a lot to undertake, especially in such a short amount of time, but, for the most part, Tran successfully manages the task.
The Dark End of the Street won’t be to everyone’s taste, but does manage to be an assured debut that highlights an interesting and powerful voice.
The Dark End of the Street is available on Digital HD now.
The Dark End of the Street
Summary
With The Dark End of the Street, new writer and director, Kevin Tran, proves that he’s a new and powerful voice to watch.
