-Written by Kyle Bain.
When theater director Michael (Joshua Koopman) fears that his theater will be taken from him when his rent is raised, he is forced to venture out into uncharted territory and create plays that exist far left of what the theater-loving public have come to expect. Earlybird follows Michael as he attempts to make his dreams come true; but he will find that the journey toward success is paved in anything but gold.
It seems that Earlybird attempts to be an extravagant take on both the arts and the struggles of the everyday man, and to some degree I believe that it hits its mark. With such heavy exaggeration, though, it does sometimes become difficult to appreciate the sentiment behind Writer-Director Martin Kaszubowski’s film. He walks on thin ice in this regard, because, even in the opening moments of the film, things are ridiculous–almost to a degree that they might turn off viewers. From time to time, however, the film tends to settle down just enough to entice those same viewers, to reel them back in–and it’s these moments that will ultimately find the film some level of success.
The characters of Earlybird are eccentric to say the least. I think this is meant to be an exaggerated expression of what theater folk are like. Theater Camp attempted to do this last year as well, and I found that it ultimately ended up appealing to a niche audience–those with theater experience. Earlybird runs that same risk, and there are certainly times, specifically resulting from the characters, that the vast majority of viewers will struggle to appreciate, or even understand the content of the film. Headed by Michael, however, I believe that the characters, after some digging, have the ability to appeal to viewers from all walks of life. But, again, it takes some digging. On the surface he’s a somewhat manic theater director that has trouble connecting with the typicalities of life–but beneath the surface he just wants to achieve his dreams, find the success that he’s been longing for. This is where we can connect with him, where we can appreciate his journey and his purpose. Other characters, like Courtney (Paige Skoczen) play with these ideas as well–but maybe they aren’t fleshed out enough for viewers to truly connect with them.
Earlybird is far too long, incapable of sustaining itself for its hour-and-forty-minute runtime. There’s so much empty space here, so much that leaves viewers bored. Often during the conversations between Michael and the others I found myself asking “is this necessary?” For me to, time and time again, question this proves that this film is sort of incomplete. There is time for things to develop further, for characters and storylines alike to become more whole–but Earlybird fails to accomplish this, extending itself far too long and not providing enough information to fill in the gaps.
Earlybird has moral value, but it’s often surrounded by nonsensical dialogue and actions. It sometimes becomes a challenge to find the hidden meaning or the existential value hidden beneath the surface. I certainly understand what it is that Earlybird is attempting to accomplish, but it sometimes drowns in its lack of seriousness. Again, this film has value, but it’s bogged down by so many other moving parts.
Written & Directed by Martin Kaszubowski.
Starring Joshua Koopman, Julie Pope, Amanda Platt, Chloe Skoczen, Jesse James Montoya, Zachary Krueger, etc.
6/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
