A Bothered Conscience
(Advance Review Copy)
(2006)
review by Catwalk

In the back woods of Arkansas, there aren’t any 911 calls or cops to flag down.  When hell breaks loose on someone, they’re on their own, and in the case of many cast members of A Bothered Conscience, it often means they’re worm food.

In all fairness, the sign clearly states “No Trespassing”.

Lucas McGavin (Martin) learns the hunter’s ways from his father, a war veteran seeking just to be left alone on his property.  Unfortunately, over the past few decades, the McGavins have been bothered by strangers too stupid or too curious to stay off their land.  That has led to a long record of bloodshed and missing persons reports.

As the film opens, viewers are treated to lots of violence and minimal dialogue, with the elder Keller McGavin (Smithers, Sr.) dishing out death, and training young Lucas on how things are done.  After the grainy, professional-looking title sequence (Post Mordem Productions), Act One combines elements of Deliverance and Rambo for an early, creative body count.  Once the film moves to 20 years later, it’s obvious not much has changed on the McGavins’ turf.

Once the torch is passed, though, Lucas isn’t the cold-hearted badass his daddy was.  Instead, he begins to suffer visions and nightmares from the sins of the father.  It’s pretty logical that someone who has always lived in the shadow of his father would struggle with being independent.  Lucas, well, he REALLY struggles, making for a great creepy sequence where he begins to unravel.

Distributing bullets and pain more from paranoia than psychosis, Lucas contemplates suicide while fighting for survival against his haunted past.  When he comes eye-to-eye with his final challenge, the ending makes for an exciting twist, nicely wrapping up 30 years of the McGavin family curse.

A Bothered Conscience features the filmmaking debut of Dennis Smithers, Jr., who combines a great slow pacing and a ton of external shots to really bring viewers into the experience.  Initially, the film feels slow, establishing a creepy feel that, despite the warm rays of sunlight, shows viewers how quickly life can come to an end.  Expanded from the original 32-minute short, there are a few shots that are overly-extended, but Smithers creates an atmosphere where it all ties in together nicely.

Doug Johnson’s score is versatile and fluid, steering along with the movie’s sudden jumps and tension.  He combines some great ambient sounds with the straight up banjo picking, fiddle playing and piano, with steady percussion to support the whole feel.  The film adds two original songs, including an appropriate piece over the end credits.  The film’s only shortcomings are due to its small budget ($2,300) which causes restraints on some of the action scenes, and some amateurs among the supporting cast.  Smithers, Sr. is just a nasty, battle-hardened bastard throughout, and the reason most city folk don’t go camping.

A Bothered Conscience made its world debut on June 17th, 2006 at the Gem Theater in Heber Springs, Arkansas.