EXPIRATION

Touted by its filmmakers as a "no budget" film, Expiration would serve as a good film lesson on how to shave some zeros off of their big-budget Hollywood films. Written, edited, directed by, and starring 23-year-old Gavin Heffernan, Expiration is an impressively confident and good-looking feature film for someone with few resources. Certain flaws can be forgiven, and there is enough talent involved that I'd be curious to see what Heffernan will come up with next.

Featuring a cast of thousands... well, at least over 60 actors, and shot at more than 70 unique locations (mostly through the urban sprawl of Montreal), the film's multiple storylines weave through each other via a bunch of "how the hell did I get here?" incidents. Taking place in one night, we follow three major characters as they wander, bump, and smack into each other (and many others) from dusk til dawn.

Gavin Heffernan himself leads the cast as Sam, a Nice Guy (if a bit bland) who takes it upon himself to propose to his best friend Niki (Erin Simkin) after finding out he is (maybe?) the father of her unborn child. After a fancy dinner, Niki pukes on the sidewalk, so Sam tells her to rest in the car... he'll be right back. And that is where things go awry. One thing leads to another, and Sam hooks up with Rachel (Janet Lane), a drug dealer, after they are both victims of a convenience store robbery. They both have something precious they really want back from the theif. In the meantime, Niki wakes up alone, wanders around looking for Sam, and, well... let's say she certainly has her own night to remember.

With a cast made up of both actors and non-actors (many of them students), Expiration does surprisingly well not being slogged down by pain-inducing characterizations. There are a couple major characters that definitely needed to be recast in my book, but on the other hand, actors like Paul Rogic (as a druggie yuppie), Denise DePass (as a jaded prostitute), and especially Janet Lane as Rachel (she could be a star) put in performances that were as good (or better) than those in any mainstream movie.

The film does suffer a bit, mainly from inexperience. There are some clunky shots and occasional sound problems, a hint of film school philosophical "meaning of life" pretension, and not knowing when to reign in the story. But the positives certainly outweigh the rough edges. Expiration is certainly is a better-than-average debut for a young filmmaker.