By Geno McGahee
I see a lot of micro budget films, and most of the time, they are rather bad, but I still find enjoyment in most of them. Most of the time, there is a story that needs to be told by the writer but they tend to lack production value and proper execution. If you get beyond the flaws, you may actually like what you see. CAVEAT is not a film with a big budget by any means, but it sets itself apart from those on the same budget level with attention to detail and good execution. It was a pleasant surprise.
Written and Directed by Julie Ufema, CAVEAT concerns the dysfunctional Mosier family. The father has died and has left the fortune to his children, Kathryn (Lindsay Goranson), Jennie (Heather O’Neill), Emily (Kacie Marie), Hannah (Taylor Nicholson), and Olivia (Tabetha Ray), but there is nothing but trouble from the onset. This group of women cannot get along. In fact, they do not pull punches and are rather brutal toward each other.
Easy to hate is Hannah, the self-absorbed and vicious sister that has no problems flaunting her beauty and attacking the shortcomings of others. At one point, as she is tearing into her sister Kathryn, a patron notes that you can’t buy class. She really has no class. She is a bitchy party girl and you know that when the death starts, she’ll be the first to go.
A series of flashbacks to the childhoods of the girls brings up the root cause of much of the conflicts. Kathryn seems to the most impacted by her lack of perceived love from her rich father, while young Olivia has no ill will. She was the “last chance” by her father and treated better than the others, creating resentment in the group.
Each sister has issues, but soon, Kathryn erupts, and her sisters will feel her wrath. The performance by Lindsay Goranson was rather impressive. She was compelling in the role. Equally so was Tabetha Ray as Olivia. She was very believable. Jeremy Whitlock (Jason Ufema) played his role with incredible comfort. I’m not sure how much experience Ufema (obvious relation to the writer/director) has, but he seemed pretty seasoned and consistent.
CAVEAT is what you would expect from a film on this level as far as the acting. With the acting, it’s uneven. Some of the performances are very good and others make you cringe. I thought that the Hannah character was a little bit too “in your face” with her constant commentary on the goings on and her sisters’ lives. BUT the good outweighs the bad here greatly with a strong story and, as I said, attention to detail. The set designs were obviously a point that they paid close attention to, and I did enjoy the look. This movie should be appreciated for the effort put in. CAVEAT was an A effort.
Another thing that I enjoyed about CAVEAT is the soft feel to it. It has a nice look. The execution of the production was very good and the lead actresses were cast rather well. Julie Ufema created a quality production with attention to detail. She had a story to tell and she told it well. I really enjoyed it and recommend this. I look forward to her future productions.
One final note…the death scenes are pretty weak for the gore fans out there. The story is strong enough to compensate, but I can predict some negative feedback from those that just want to see a slasher with heads flying all over the place. This is more of a suspense/thriller then it is a gorefest. This is not the movie for those that just want to watch splatter. It actually is a good micro-budget flick.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7/10.
To Learn More about Ufema and Caveat CLICK HERE
