"The Fare" Review

What if you fell in love while trapped in a time loop? Indie darling "The Fare" poses this question in an homage to "The Twilight Zone", starring Gino Anthony Pesi and Brinna Kelly, who is also the film's screenwriter. The film has been making its rounds in both domestic and international film festivals, and has won several awards including the Special Mention Jury Award at Fantasporto, Best Dark Fantasy/Supernatural Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, and the Director's Prize for Overall Concept and Execution at FilmQuest.

The film opens on cab driver Harris (Gino Anthony Pesi) who quickly finds himself in a time loop of picking up the same passenger Penny (Brinna Kelly) over and over again. Director D.C. Hamilton was faced with an interesting challenge of simultaneously building up the tension of the mystery of the premise while also exuding the warmth of a blossoming love story. He is successful in both regards, just as the two lead actors effectively convey the emotional range of their characters.

As independent filmmaking must work within the confines of limited budgeting and resources, it is wise to choose a premise that will match these circumstances. "The Fare" keeps much of the drama inside a single taxi cab which makes it all the more impressive that so much emotional weight is built within that space.

There's something downright mythological in the scale of the story that's played out over these eighty-two minutes. The story isn't formulaic, nor is it predictable. It asks the audience to not only guess what revelations will come from the growing mystery of the time loop and the characters trapped in it, but what a toll loneliness can take on a person. The emotional heart of the story is that people have an inherent need for connection. This beautiful takeaway is just one of the many merits of this indie gem.

"The Fare" will be available nationwide November 19th on Blu-ray and Digital HD, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu and more.