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Calf Rope (2020)
Bittersweet family drama boosted by unforgettable performances
The legacy our parents hand down to us is as powerful as the lessons they teach us, and in writer/director Bradley Hawkins' emotional drama CALF ROPE, that truth is manifested in the poignant connection between an old rodeo star-turned cattle auctioneer, Mac (Gorman Ruggiero) and his beloved grandson Brandon (Lukas Barnett). Ruggiero and Barnett's performances are as incredible as the chemistry between them, which Hawkins' outstanding direction brings out as much as his superb screenplay for the film does. CALF ROPE's supporting cast is also excellent, as is its cinematography and music score.
Night Voices (2023)
Words can destroy us, but can they redeem us?
A bitter and discontented radio talk show host is on the brink of signing off for good - until he takes a fateful call from a tragedy-afflicted youngster in search of guidance in director Bradley Hawkins' Night Voices. It's a powerful film that explores tough topics - depression, suicide, faith - with sophistication and maturity.
Gorman Ruggiero is gritty, frightening and ultimately heartbreaking as the overwhelmed radio host Jude Wilcox, a man whose patience and sanity is harshly tested by every caller who gripes to him about problems both huge and trivial.
13-year old upstart Jack Packer is also strong as Hunter, a boy who suddenly rings up Jude in the aftermath of a painful crisis while poignantly reminding him of the happiness that's all but evaporated from his existence.
Ruggiero and Packer evoke pain, vulnerability, tenderness and heart in their performances, with the incredible on-camera chemistry and emotional range of both actors bolstering Hawkins' already taut narrative.
Thanks to its remarkable cast, direction, screenplay, music and production design, Night Voices is a film that shows how life can change in only a split second, and how the words we say can either destroy lives...or save them.