Shooting in Vain projects the painful regret of losing a loved one
People say that a picture is worth more than a thousand words, and maybe, this is exactly what director Jared Januschka wanted people to see in 'Shooting in Vain'.
Written by DH Nelson, the movie revolves around Maxfield Young (Sebastian Gregory), a simple guy who loves to capture the world's beauty on his camera, whose his life changes when he falls in love with his high school sweetheart, Raine Bennett (Diana Hopper).
Haunted by the memories of Raine, Maxfield decides to go back to where it all started and in the process gain some closure. While the journey sets itself on a curious road for its viewers it soon loses its grip as the character of Maxfield tends to remain stagnant.
We see his character going back and forth with his memories but there comes a point when the viewers want to know what happens next. Even though the climax of the movie eventually comes into place, there is a long tiring wait that the viewers have to endure.
However, the screenplay of the movie makes up for the plot. As the movie begins, we see a series of pictures clicked by Maxfield. This helps the viewers to connect with the character. It is almost like a friend displaying a series of photos they have taken while narrating the meaning behind them. As the movie progresses, it becomes clear that Maxfield has an intimate connection with photographs. Every picture he takes in the movie looks almost like a snap taken from his memory or as his character says, "the most intimate relationship I have is with my memory."
Director Jared has also done a marvelous job in ensuring that viewers feel thay are a part of the film. During one of the scenes, we see Maxfield describing Raine the meaning behind his pictures and why he loves to take them. With the help of light effects and narration, the viewers are made to imagine how it feels to be in the shoes of the character itself.
At the same time, Jared allows its viewers to become the eyes of the character and this is particularly noticed during the party scene in the film. The entire party scene is projected with the idea of looking through the mask worn by Maxfield. One almost feels like they are part of the party and whatever they see, they see it through their eyes.
The viewers also get a glimpse of what will happen next in the movie. Almost like a warning or rather a spoiler alert, Jared very cleverly places the climax of the movie right in front of the viewers but one realizes it only after the movie has ended. It is almost like he plays with the minds of people without giving much information about what one can expect in the upcoming scenes.
Music is another element in the movie that uplifts the plot. During one of the scenes, we see Maxfield and Raine dancing to a song whose lyrics read, "your love will let me down." While the song may seem romantic at that moment, it had a bigger clue about the plot than people believe. Showing how love has the power to make or break things, the song grabs the attention of the people by hinting that the love between these characters is going to be the reason for their downfall. Meanwhile, the intensity of grief is also showcased with the help of music.
With melancholic group music which wraps its viewers with sadness, one can feel the pain and hurt that Maxfield feels when he loses his loved one. It is almost like one feels what it would be like if they had to say goodbye to someone they loved.
At the same time, the cinematography used in the movie allows us to have the bigger picture of the scene. With the pan movement of the camera, we get to see scenes as a viewer who is standing in the room with the character. Meanwhile, director Jared also uses lights to project the feeling of the character. With the light colors depicting a feeling of joy, the dark color is used to depict the feeling of loss and guilt.
As the movie comes to an end the viewers are made to feel that Maxfield might have got the closure he needed as we see him making his picture-perfect look for Raine. Actor Sebastian has done a commendable job in bringing his character of Maxfield to life along with actress Diana who delivered a good performance as Raine.