Review: Indie drama ‘Carving a Life,’ about addiction, means well but is ineptly made
The alcoholism drama “Carving a Life” is the kind of DIY indie film that tries very, very hard but completely misses the mark, failing to connect in the way its filmmakers intended. The self-seriousness of this loony swing-and-a-miss shares a tone with Tommy Wiseau’s outrageously amateurish cult classic “The Room” but isn’t nearly as entertaining.
“Carving a Life” is the feature film debut of writer Lisa Bruhn, director Terry Ross and star Tyler Bruhn. The story follows the highs and lows of a romance between Mitch (Bruhn), a woodworker, and Lauren (Karenssa LeGear), an elementary school teacher. Mitch creepily hits on Lauren when she comes into his shop to purchase a dolphin wood carving, and though she initially declines, his persistence wears her down. Though Mitch displays signs of a drinking problem, Lauren later accepts his marriage proposal. When she announces she’s pregnant, he begins a downward spiral.
It’s clear that “Carving a Life” has the best of intentions to depict the struggle of addiction. What it can’t overcome is a monotone and dead-eyed lead performance from Bruhn. The editing is all over the place, with conversations that seem out of order from line to line and timelines that don’t match up, which is indicative of the general shoddiness of the filmmaking.
LeGear is an empathetic screen presence, but like her long-suffering character, who should have run far, far away from Mitch when she had the chance, she deserves better than this.
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‘Carving a Life’
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 23 minutes
Playing: Arena Cinelounge Sunset, Hollywood
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