This movie started off a little slow, and the writeup didn't offer much to convince me to watch it, but I was searching for something to see and took a chance. I love stumbling on to an experience so incredible it wouldn't let me go immediately after the ending. This film is a vortex that sucks the engaged viewer in and refuses to let go. It's a slow burn, but I suddenly found myself riveted to this story. It's gut-wrenchingly emotional. I literally felt each character's pain and torment as if it was my own, that's how amazing everyone involved with this creation performed. The low ratings and dismissals are puzzling to me. Maybe it's because I can feel empathy for these people and their individual misery, except for Cotton, who is not a sympathetic character, although the actor made him all too real. This movie is believable to its core, gripping, and emotionally draining. The script was beautifully written and executed. There is symbolism if you choose to see it, especially the scene near the end with Waylon and the fish. That scene both comforted me and gave me goosebumps. I was left shattered and hopeful, simultaneously. Hours later I'm still feeling this film, and still thinking about it as if it was real, because it could be, and all of the elements in it have been. It's a cautionary tale that I recommend with all of my heart, 100%, and if I could give it more than 10 stars, I would. I would add that I don't know anyone involved in this movie, as it's 2022 and I just watched it for the first time, and I'm so happy to have given it a chance. It might not be that way for everyone who sees it, and that's okay. But for those of us who really get it, it's an experience not to be missed, because this is not just mindless entertainment.
Review of Back Fork
