Review: Halfway to Heaven

Director
James Sharpe

Cast
James Lacey
Mark Killeen
Andrew Lindfield
Catherine Locardi
Lisa Armytage
Ciara Dooley
Peter Easter
Peter Barfield
James Fisher

Halfway to Heaven is a fantasy romance set in and around the everyday world, recalling films such as Wings of Desire, and the works of Neil Gaiman.

Peter Barfield plays Paul, an average guy living in a dead end town. After a series of events orchestrated by God (Locardi) he finds himself in a form of purgatory. Existing as a ghost in another town, and living in a house with a living resident, Paul learns a little about himself, life, love and all that good stuff.

The film is well directed, and the actors give it their all.  Some, such as the Devil, played by Killeen, looked like they were having a lot of fun in their brief scenes.

The script has some good ideas, although it can at times become far too exposition heavy. Writer/Director James Sharpe feels like he is not yet confident enough to express ideas with light touches, and perhaps does not have faith that his audience would understand the story. For his next feature I hope that he takes the jump and allows more of the story to be expressed visually.

If there was a fundamental issue with the film it would be the pacing. The film feels like it has been padded out to reach feature length. What could have been a fun, and charming, 30 minute short film, feels spread out too thinly. The final 10 minutes are almost tacked on and frankly the emotional journey of our hero ends well before the film does. There is a natural conclusion and it would be interesting to see if the piece could be re-edited into a shorter, sharper form.

Halfway to Heaven is an interesting, and ambitious film. It is flawed, but that should not be seen as a criticism of anyone who worked on the piece. As a stepping stone onto bigger and better things, director Sharpe has moulded something from which I am certain he has gained a lot of experience. I look forward to his next picture.

Rob Girvan

For more information on Halfway to Heaven please visit the official website - click

BIFA Awards Announced

Moon, the debut feature from Duncan Jones, has been named the best British indie film at this years British Independent Film Awards in London, with Duncan Jones also taking home the best debut director award. Other winners included Carey Mulligan (Best Actress) in An Education, Tom Hary (Best Actor) in Bronson and Best Director for Andrea Arnold for her film Fish Tank.

The full list of winners can be found at the official website - click