Sunday, April 12, 2026

1Movie #3609 ........................."Crystal Cross" (Phoenix Film Festival)

 Movie #3609 "Crystal Cross" (Phoenix Film Festival)  This was the first film we saw on Saturday at thePhoenix Film Festival, and I thought it was a mixture of  rom-com and  road trip --- a formula that I've seen quite a bit, being a big fan of rom-coms my whole life.  This was a film searching for a through-line, full of lots of montages, which in a Q and A with the director afterwards, he explained that the film (90 mins when we saw it) ran 4 hours when they first put it together --- so they took scenes out and made them montages.  Really the saving grace of the film was the actress who played Dotty--- she ran the film with her bubbly, overly Jesus-loving way of seeing the world --- and her maxims she delivered quite confidently whenever the guy seemed to need advice.  I say "seem to' because he was overly quiet to the point of being non-communicative, and like Harold in "Harold and Maude"  he was trying to commit suicide and felt a failure because he couldn't do that right either.  I know, sounds strange, and it was a quirky indie, indeed, and I'm not sure if it will ever be released to bigger audiences, but if it is, it might be a film some people find interesting.  I liked the humor,  Dotty, the ending and the song she wrote about her suicidal jesus boyfriend.  I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

"CRYSTAL CROSS"       Phoenix Film Festival    1 hr and 28 mins. 2025      R

Dotty, a Christian singer chasing fame, hitches a ride with James, a grieving father bent on ending his life.  On the road, their twisted love story unfolds as two desperate souls find faith, music and truth on the way to life and death.

Director:  Richie James Follin

Writer:  Richie james Follin

Actors:  Rubyrose Hill, Richie James Follin


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