The Edge of the World is one of those rare films that came together through hard work, a rare string of talent, great innovation, and some lucky surprises many might equate to miracles. While the story might be a bit slow moving, and at moments hard to follow, it ties up nicely in the end, and leaves the audience with a beautiful, all be it haunting image that which answers the films greatest question.
This twisted story of greed, love, revenge, and the hope of redemption shows great promise for first time filmmaker Shaun Jefford, and I look forward to watching what he puts on the screen next. But the story of The Edge of the World isn't just what you see on the screen, but also how completely this film was made with limited resources it had available. The Edge of the World is one of those rare but remarkable stories that Hollywood tends to churn out from time to time, a man on a shoestring budget is able to show skills that far exceed the means by which he had to produce the product he was asked to deliver. Like Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, or Steven Soderbergh, Shaun Jefford is proving he's the new whiz kid of the micro-budget film world. Taking a story that works in two separate decades, he crafts the film in a way that makes the 50's look like a cross between a golden aged classic and a dark lit noir, then bringing us into modern times, he hits us with a harsh blown florescent look which mirrors well with the institutional elements of the now aged cast of characters, and the general discomfort these characters are left with as they find their past coming back to haunt them with consequences that could be fatal.
The Edge of the World comes across like a meditation on the demons we've carried through our life, and the realization that what we thought we could bury will always find away to return if left unresolved.
While this film is a heavy drama, it is not entirely without humor. The two main character Benny and William seem to have a witty report that only a life time of friendship could forge, and a screwball soap opera weaves through the fabric of the film providing some much need comic relief. All and all The Edge of the World is a great effort by Shaun Jefford and one to be met with anticipation of things to come.
Kent Bernhard Film Critic and Reviewer
This twisted story of greed, love, revenge, and the hope of redemption shows great promise for first time filmmaker Shaun Jefford, and I look forward to watching what he puts on the screen next. But the story of The Edge of the World isn't just what you see on the screen, but also how completely this film was made with limited resources it had available. The Edge of the World is one of those rare but remarkable stories that Hollywood tends to churn out from time to time, a man on a shoestring budget is able to show skills that far exceed the means by which he had to produce the product he was asked to deliver. Like Robert Rodriguez, Richard Linklater, or Steven Soderbergh, Shaun Jefford is proving he's the new whiz kid of the micro-budget film world. Taking a story that works in two separate decades, he crafts the film in a way that makes the 50's look like a cross between a golden aged classic and a dark lit noir, then bringing us into modern times, he hits us with a harsh blown florescent look which mirrors well with the institutional elements of the now aged cast of characters, and the general discomfort these characters are left with as they find their past coming back to haunt them with consequences that could be fatal.
The Edge of the World comes across like a meditation on the demons we've carried through our life, and the realization that what we thought we could bury will always find away to return if left unresolved.
While this film is a heavy drama, it is not entirely without humor. The two main character Benny and William seem to have a witty report that only a life time of friendship could forge, and a screwball soap opera weaves through the fabric of the film providing some much need comic relief. All and all The Edge of the World is a great effort by Shaun Jefford and one to be met with anticipation of things to come.
Kent Bernhard Film Critic and Reviewer
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