The Dynamiter (2012)

Directed by: Matthew Gordon
Country: USA

Review: In this low-key indie drama, debutant filmmaker Matthew Gordon depicts the troubles of 14-year-old Robbie Kendrick, who leads a wandering life in Glen Allan, Mississippi. Robbie misses his absent mother who has left for California, doesn’t know anything about his father, and lives with his grandmother and his two brothers. Known as a liar and a thief, Robbie is the first to be questioned when trouble is around. His relationship with the family is a key factor for us to understand his erratic behavior and natural tendency to steal. Having a great relationship with his younger half-brother, with whom he likes to play in the fields, Robbie is often influenced in the wrong way by his older brother Lucas, a lazy bum and an exploiter of women. Caught in the middle of chaos and forced to grow up too fast, he will gain some conscience and responsibility, but when one's past is marked by trouble, even getting an honest job becomes doubtful at other people’s eyes. The pure independent style adopted fit well, giving the rawness that the story was asking for, but despite the truthfulness evinced, it lacked intensity and firm pace in several situations. In the end it didn’t create the impact I was expecting, despite the lesson of courage and hope that conveys.