Dave Ash's sequel to 2021 -- TWIN CITIES -- to premiere at Film Invasion Los Angeles

Every so often, but far too rarely, TrustMovies views a new film by an unknown filmmaker that deserves a much wider viewing public than this little blog can manage to provide. Such as film was 2021 (click here for a review) and so, too, is the new sequel to that film -- TWIN CITIES -- by Minneapolis-based filmmaker David Ash. His new film, in fact, is even more ambitious in concept and execution than his earlier endeavor, though it is not quite as effective as 2021. It is still more than worth seeing, and I hope it will jump-start this "local" filmmaker to national prominence.

Mr. Ash, pictured at right, continues his tale of two oddball lovers, John and Emily, who met and tried to form a relationship in 2021. Now, they're married, she's expecting, and John -- as bi-polar and troubled as ever -- is about to discover something about his health that will change everything. Or not. What is real and what is not get quite the workout here, in terms of both what happens to our characters and the game the filmmaker is playing with us viewers. Not for nothing is Ash's movie titled Twin Cities. Yes, it takes place in the Minneapolis/St. Paul region, but its narrative, too, is broken into two distinct strands/sections that, while they play off each other, are also quite impossible to meld.

The first section/story seems to belong mostly to John (played again with amazing force and commitment by Clarence Wethern, above, left), the second to Emily (again, the equally committed and talented Bethany Ford Binkley, above right). It's wonderful to see them together again, playing off each other with such rapport and skill.

John, above, struggles with those same old demons (his mental state and a job that he is extraordinarily good at yet does not want to do), while Bethany, below and now pregnant, has written a best-seller and finds herself blocked concerning that second novel, which her publisher is anxiously awaiting.

In the movie's second section, all has changed, and rather drastically -- yet so many details are so similar but also exactly different. The parents in section one belong to John. In section two, they are Emily's -- with the major health issue transferred from one sex to the other. (That's "mom," played by Mary Beidler Gearen, below).

This splitting of the narrative into two strands is certainly interesting, but I do not think it adds anything to the characterizations, which proved much stronger in 2021. It may make us think and think again about some of the philosophical points raised by Mr. Ash (who both wrote and directed) concerning life, death, religion, faith, work, love and more, but I don't believe the use of twin narratives actually adds any more depth to the discussion.

It does give these actors plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their chops -- which they do. (That's Gabe Angieri, playing Dad, above.)  It also shows the filmmaker's wonderful rapport with those actors. He, along with his writing, draws such immediate, specific and emotionally compelling performances from his leads, which also include Peter Christian Hansen (below) as Emily's significant other in the second section, that scene after scene grabs you and does not let go.

Mr. Ash, along with his treatment thus far by the independent film establishment and its critics, brings up an interesting point regarding insider and outsider art. A film I covered earlier this week -- Matías Piñeiro's Hermia and Helena -- is a perfect example of "insider" art:  Piñeiro's work is beloved by insiders and the filmmaker, in his latest work, even uses many of these people in his film. His latest is too long and so thin that it practically disappears while unspooling. But his work has caught critics' fancy bigtime (mine included, at least where one of his earlier films is concerned).

Ash, on the other hand, living and working in Minnesota yet producing some masterful stuff, remains an outsider. Really now: It's time for a change. Maybe new exposure for Twin Cities will foment that change. Do you have to have already seen 2021 to appreciate Ash's latest film? I don't think so, although seeing them both can only increase your enjoyment and connections.

As I mentioned in the headline above, the movie premieres next month on June 11 in L. A.at Film Invasion Los Angeles. Click here for more information and/or here to purchase tickets.

Good news! This film is now 

(I'm adding this note in summer, 2018) 

available via Amazon Prime. 

Click here to access it.

A Christmas present from Minnesota (but one you can't unwrap just yet): Dave Ash's 2021

It's always nice -- in addition to covering filmmakers based in California, New York and countries all around the world -- to have an independent movie-maker from some of the culturally lesser-known American states check in with us here at TrustMovies. Earlier this year we heard from Oklahoma via a lovely little narrative film called Home, James. Arizona's been represented by the taste-free Pizza Shop: The Movie and a nice little documentary, Underwater Dreams. And now, on Christmas Day we're covering a film (his second) from Minnesota-based filmmaker, Dave Ash. If his 2021 (the title doubles as the year the film takes place) is any indication, this oft-frozen state is a hotbed of sublime talent.

Mr. Ash, shown at right, has done something rather remarkable here. He's combined several genres -- rom-com, sci-fi, dystopian future, mystery, character study, and maybe a few more I'll discover via a second viewing -- into a single slim-but-bracing little movie. It looks very homemade, as indeed it is. Even a few minutes into it, however, I suspect you'll be hooked. This is because, in each genre he tackles, Ash finds the one thing that makes it matter -- the humanity at the heart of it all. 2021 may be lacking in certain stylish factors, but in terms of content and characterization, this is one special movie.

Who knew that such first-rate talent existed in the Minneapolis area as leading man Clarence Wethern (above), a New Orleans-born actor who relocated to Minneapolis after most of his family lost their homes during Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana's loss in Minnesota's gain, for Mr. Wethern excels in every respect as John, the nerdy, exceedingly bright and maybe Asperger-tinged fellow at the center of Ash's film, who falls hard for a young lady named Emily (Bethany Ford, below) who is something of a mystery and may be every bit as problemed as is our hero.

John, you see, is something of a programming genius, who is asked by his immediate boss, as well as by that boss' boss, to solve a certain singularity problem that is looming and, in fact, is en route to be solved, perhaps by his company's competition. Setting his movie a mere seven years hence, Mr. Ash makes it unnecessary to dabble much in any special effects, for our physical lives and environments won't have changed much in the intervening time.

The filmmaker is either a very smart guy, or he and the other fellow responsible for the story here, Michael Lent, have done their research and due diligence in order to make the "science" part of the equation seem real and even somewhat understandable to the viewer. Einstein, Gödel, Turing and Kurzweil all figure into this mix, though you don't have to be a scientist to understand how and why.

More important, the human equation is always in front of us -- and just as understandable, whether it is taking the form of John's therapist (a very intriguing and humorous performance by Charles Hubble, above); his best friend, Mitch (a sleazy-but-lovable Sam Landman, below, who notes pridefully to John that, "While you were out there searching for the perfect 'ten,' I nailed five 'twos'!"). The dialog here is often quite funny and on the mark, as well.

Also on tap is John's not-particularly-to-be-trusted boss, Brandon (played with just the right amount of enthusiasm and withholding by Scot Moore, below). But finally, it is the performances of Wethern and Ms Ford that makes this movie a don't-miss. Wethern, especially, is so real and unsettling that it often hurts to watch the guy. Your heart goes out to him, even as you're eventually frightened as hell by what he might do.

One of the nicest surprises of 2021 is that you won't really know what the film is about until it's over. The workplace, a promotion, therapy, love, success, science, technology and art -- all of these swirl around as the story works its way to a climax in which everything zeros in on exposing... what? Well, among other things, the content of our character.

In my headline above, I mention that this film is a kind of Christmas present that you can't yet unwrap. Too true, since 2021 is not now available for my readers to view. A release of some sort is planned for 2015, but because I love this film so much and want to see it reach as wide an audience as possible, I am beating the drum a bit in advance here. As soon as some kind of release is scheduled, I will re-post this review, with updated info on how you can see it.

Meanwhile, get ready, eventually, for your tardy and very unusual holiday gift from Minnesota.

Good news! This film is now 

(I'm adding this note in summer, 2018) 

available via Amazon Prime. 

Click here to access it.