A LITTLE FILM WITH A LOT OF HEART
Movie Review – Scrap
Review by Ray Schillaci
One of the many reasons why I take such pleasure in watching independent films is that there are the handful out there that get to the bottom line of just being human; our struggles, complexities, faults and sometimes are triumphs…no matter how small. They are a wonderful echo of what the ’70s ushered in with such grace with the likes of Hal Ashby, Bob Rafelson, Robert Altman, and Sidney Lumet, to name a few. They were filmmakers that wanted to do more than entertain.
They yearned to open your eyes to the world we lived in. Take notice of the regular guy or woman and their struggles, relate to them, and that gave us actors we would never forget: Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Al Pacino, and Diane Keaton. This brings me to a wonderful little film that exemplifies what the ’70s had to offer. Writer/director/star Vivian Kerr’s Scrap takes the struggles of a young single mom, Beth, down on her luck, as she has her brother and his wife temporarily taking care of her daughter as she attempts to get back on her feet.
She’s been laid off, no longer has a place to live, and is currently sleeping in her car as she desperately seeks employment. She is not without her faults which have led her to this dilemma. We see Beth with all her flaws and as the film progresses, we see a little bit of Beth in so many people we may have known in the past and we slowly begin to root for her.
Writer/director Kerr has peppered her story with real heartfelt people that we can easily relate to even with the minor roles such as the hiring manager at a new outlet mall and a sympathetic roller skating rink worker. All of these people feel like they ring true along with the major players – Beth’s brother Ben (played with a natural ability by Anthony Rapp) and Lana Parrilla as Stacy, her frustrated and jaded sister-in-law who can be funny, quick and genuine.
The film is not all about Beth’s struggles. Kerr’s story touches also on the strained brother/sister relationship that hinges more on nostalgia on her end. But, Ben cannot help but play his sister’s keeper. This is not easy when he and his wife are having fertility problems. This is not something merely glossed over. Kerr goes straight to the heart of the matter of Ben and Stacy’s struggles as they nearly act as surrogate parents to Beth’s child, the precocious Birdy. This is one helluva complicated triangle of frustration that Kerr has developed, but it’s not without humor and pathos.
Watching Beth repeat her mistakes, apologize over and over, and nearly pass up even the smallest opportunities is a slow learning curve for this woman’s character, but it’s a real one. That’s what makes Scrap stand out among so many other indie films. Kerr’s film is not poignant for poignant sake. It’s not just catering to your heart or vying to be the next rom-com or lesson on an independent woman making good. No, Vivian Kerr, like her ’70s predecessors, delivers real people in real-life situations that so many of us can relate to and we can only hope for more of the same in the future of her career.
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Directed by: Vivian Kerr
Run Time: 105 Minutes
Scrap is currently on its festival run. It plays Phoenix Film Festival:
Friday, March 31st, 2023 – 2:25pm
Saturday, April 1st, 2023 – 4:35pm
Sunday, April 2nd, 2023 – 4:40pm
And will screen at Julien Dubuque International Film Festival
April 26 – 30, 2023 (times TBA)
Keep track of the film’s progress HERE
