The Head Hunter

By every single measurable parameter, I would consider this a very small film. It’s very small in scale. Its cast and crew are incredibly small. The budget is maddeningly small—IMDB lists its budget as an estimated 30 grand—yet it does not feel like a small movie and I’m apprehensive to call it that.

Because behind all these things by which we would measure this film’s size, is its tremendous heart. There is a very clear love for film and storytelling here that fills every shot with a huge amount of passion. It’s very carefully and painstakingly crafted in a way that makes all those supposed small things not matter. This is a film literally carried by its main actor who gives a seemingly impossibly understated performance.

It’s a phenomenal feet of filmmaking. I can’t even begin to image what these filmmakers could do with more resources. It’s beautiful to look at, listen to, and follow along with. It deals with the complexity of its issues efficiently and without being the least bit didactic. There are no huge moments of exposition, no speeches, conversely almost no one speaks at all.

There’s just a guy, and a creature, in a crucible of grief and vengeance. It handles itself better than many much larger, more expensive films are ever capable of doing.

As a movie watcher it’s impressive but as a creative person I am in absolute awe of what was accomplished here.