Streets of Wonderland features a gang of junkies and thieves who terrorize tourists on the Canadian side of this “Wonder of the World” vacation spot. When one of the gang, Devlin (the magnetic Ryan DiFrancesco), begins to question what he is doing and what road he is going down, he brings the story to an explosive conclusion.
This harrowing tale from director Carey Lewis, certainly not destined to be endorsed by the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, chronicles Devlin’s attempts to break free of the criminal life and drag his emotionally crippled girlfriend (McKinnley Prince) along with him. Obstacles in his way include his troubled, seemingly shell-shocked mother (Laurel Broczowski), and his brooding best friend (Logan Brown), who is growing more distant (and more dangerous) as the story unfolds.
I also like Roberto Leon and William Petrie as a pair of Devlin’s knockabout friends-turned-rivals, but really from top to bottom there are honest performances throughout the feature. The powerful acting from the performers highlights this emotionally raw tale, from a script by director Lewis and lead actor DiFrancesco. The writers have a good feel for the seething underbelly that lies beneath the sheen of tourism, and the believable dialogue and well-rounded characters really carry the often heart-breaking narrative. Even the smaller parts, including brief but pointed appearances by Devlin’s deadbeat dad, Devlin’s childhood friend, and an explosive redneck mobster, seemed drawn from tarnished reality.
With impressive scripting and acting I could forgive a few missteps, including a running time that is a shade too long, and some audio choices and shot selections that miss the mark. An evocative score helps smooth over some imperfections.
Streets of Wonderland floored audiences at Microcinema Fest 2005 in Palatine, Illinois, and netted the lion’s share of awards for acting and writing as well as the ultimate Best of Fest. For myself, I would rate this feature as one of the more powerful dramatic works to emerge from the microcinema scene to date. Carey Lewis’ top-shelf drama deserves a wider audience, and I look for more great work from this Canadian director.
This harrowing tale from director Carey Lewis, certainly not destined to be endorsed by the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, chronicles Devlin’s attempts to break free of the criminal life and drag his emotionally crippled girlfriend (McKinnley Prince) along with him. Obstacles in his way include his troubled, seemingly shell-shocked mother (Laurel Broczowski), and his brooding best friend (Logan Brown), who is growing more distant (and more dangerous) as the story unfolds.
I also like Roberto Leon and William Petrie as a pair of Devlin’s knockabout friends-turned-rivals, but really from top to bottom there are honest performances throughout the feature. The powerful acting from the performers highlights this emotionally raw tale, from a script by director Lewis and lead actor DiFrancesco. The writers have a good feel for the seething underbelly that lies beneath the sheen of tourism, and the believable dialogue and well-rounded characters really carry the often heart-breaking narrative. Even the smaller parts, including brief but pointed appearances by Devlin’s deadbeat dad, Devlin’s childhood friend, and an explosive redneck mobster, seemed drawn from tarnished reality.
With impressive scripting and acting I could forgive a few missteps, including a running time that is a shade too long, and some audio choices and shot selections that miss the mark. An evocative score helps smooth over some imperfections.
Streets of Wonderland floored audiences at Microcinema Fest 2005 in Palatine, Illinois, and netted the lion’s share of awards for acting and writing as well as the ultimate Best of Fest. For myself, I would rate this feature as one of the more powerful dramatic works to emerge from the microcinema scene to date. Carey Lewis’ top-shelf drama deserves a wider audience, and I look for more great work from this Canadian director.
Check out more of Carey Lewis at Backlot Rebels.
This review first appeared, in a slightly different form, at Microcinema Scene.
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