Redlegs

REDLEGS follows three childhood friends as they traverse through their hometown of Cincinnati on the weekend of another friend’s funeral. A candid and emotional look into grief and mourning, REDLEGS’ Ulysses-like odyssey has these young men looking for any sort of distraction they can get their hands on. But the undercurrent of their bereavement follows them on their journey waiting for the opportunity to finally boil over. Marco’s return to Cinci is only met with hidden disdain by the volatile Aaron, and the friends slowly pick at each other’s insecurities. But it’s Willie’s tender grip on his emotions that underscores what is being left unsaid among these three friends. The tension is high throughout and director Brandon Harris’s script is rife with loving moments. With captivating performances from Andrew Katz, Evan Louison, and Nathan Ramos, REDLEGS delves deep into the emotional bonds of late twenty-something men without falling into the contemporary cliché of buddy films and gross-out comedies. With nods to John Cassavetes’ “Husbands,” this is a thoughtful and touching look at abandonment, racial tension, group dynamics, and guilt all rolled into a fantastic film about friends. – T.W.