I thought this movie became basically unwatchable at the half way point. It must not have been expensive to shoot because it all seemed to take place within an apartment or brownstone type of dwelling typically found in any larger cities in North America. The plot line because scattered at the half way point and I became bored with it and stopped watching it, I like my movies to make a certain amount of sense and this 'its all been a bad dream' stuff doesn't work for me. It's like they couldn't come up with a plot but they started shooting anyway and thought that somehow an idea would come to mind to enable them to finish there movie. Acting was OK maybe a bit amateurish but if the plot is good that doesn't matter. The poorer plot makes it matter more. Ho hum fare that isn't really much for horror fans or thriller fans. On the level of a student movie.A maybe not so excellent student movie.
6 Reviews
Straight story
begob2 February 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Well, I did get past the halfway mark. The last ten minutes were more interesting, with the psychiatrist's involvement. But the whole thing is a straight story of survivor guilt turning into psychosis, with the final frame hoping to leave us with a supernatural element.
So it's not a horror.
The lead actor carries the story fairly well. Problem is it's hard to like him because his life is so boring and restricted.
Should have let him outside to see how he reacts - probably would have been more earnest anguish, but better than being inside all the time. Oh no - that would have required more location budget!
Overall they could have messed with it a bit more to crazy it up. Maybe the blond girlfriend should have had an ulterior motive - in cahoots with the friend.
So it's not a horror.
The lead actor carries the story fairly well. Problem is it's hard to like him because his life is so boring and restricted.
Should have let him outside to see how he reacts - probably would have been more earnest anguish, but better than being inside all the time. Oh no - that would have required more location budget!
Overall they could have messed with it a bit more to crazy it up. Maybe the blond girlfriend should have had an ulterior motive - in cahoots with the friend.
Must've been a college project or something
Der_Schnibbler5 December 2018
Horrible acting. Stilted. Bad editing makes for that clumsy amateur film dialogue pace. But a low budget isn't a reason to put a film down. I believe it's the inspiration -- what the story is trying to say -- that should be the yardstick used to measure a movie's worth.
The story isn't good.
One guy in a house. That's all you get. No, it's not profound an it certainly isn't the kind of mindbending storyline the writer thought.
It's just a cheap, amateur school project.
Avoid.
The story isn't good.
One guy in a house. That's all you get. No, it's not profound an it certainly isn't the kind of mindbending storyline the writer thought.
It's just a cheap, amateur school project.
Avoid.
Spoilers follow ...
parry_na20 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
'Count the Miles', a song written and performed by Graci Carli, opens and closes this film in a breezy, slightly fey manner. By the time the same song is used on the closing credits, it has assumed a certain poignancy due to the harrowing events that have happened in between.
We first see Jonathan MacKinlay (Michael Jefferson) as he regains consciousness following a car crash, his bloodied, dead-eyed wife next to him. The accident, and especially his sense of guilt, have tormented him to the point of agoraphobia: most of the story takes place in his house, which has become his prison. Two people - his friend Taylor (Andrew Ruth) and would-be photographer Bree (Emma Dubery) - occasionally enter into his life.
I don't suffer with agoraphobia, but this seems a pretty convincing depiction of the gruelling, relentless effects of the disease, and Jefferson plays this brilliantly: the frustration, the boredom, the paranoia are acutely portrayed. And yet 'other things' happen too. He sees the barest glimpses of other people, his dead wife amongst them. In the spirit of 'hauntings' films, the blur between what is real and what is not gets increasingly frayed – and yet Jefferson's perceived instability is refreshingly presented. Even at the film's close, we don't truly know how far his delusions have spread. The finale would suggest that his 'illness', or the power the manifestations have acquired, may be passed from person to person.
Rory Douglas Abel, who wrote, co-produced and directed this, has created an interesting and enjoyable, intimate story which provides a number of possibilities: MacKinlay's guilt may have unleashed a powerful and deadly force, his home might already have been infested with some deathly latent power triggered by his sensitivity, or perhaps MacKinlay has been turned into a delusional killer by his car accident. Whilst answers don't come freely, it is a premise that stays long after 'Count the Miles' brings the curtain down.
We first see Jonathan MacKinlay (Michael Jefferson) as he regains consciousness following a car crash, his bloodied, dead-eyed wife next to him. The accident, and especially his sense of guilt, have tormented him to the point of agoraphobia: most of the story takes place in his house, which has become his prison. Two people - his friend Taylor (Andrew Ruth) and would-be photographer Bree (Emma Dubery) - occasionally enter into his life.
I don't suffer with agoraphobia, but this seems a pretty convincing depiction of the gruelling, relentless effects of the disease, and Jefferson plays this brilliantly: the frustration, the boredom, the paranoia are acutely portrayed. And yet 'other things' happen too. He sees the barest glimpses of other people, his dead wife amongst them. In the spirit of 'hauntings' films, the blur between what is real and what is not gets increasingly frayed – and yet Jefferson's perceived instability is refreshingly presented. Even at the film's close, we don't truly know how far his delusions have spread. The finale would suggest that his 'illness', or the power the manifestations have acquired, may be passed from person to person.
Rory Douglas Abel, who wrote, co-produced and directed this, has created an interesting and enjoyable, intimate story which provides a number of possibilities: MacKinlay's guilt may have unleashed a powerful and deadly force, his home might already have been infested with some deathly latent power triggered by his sensitivity, or perhaps MacKinlay has been turned into a delusional killer by his car accident. Whilst answers don't come freely, it is a premise that stays long after 'Count the Miles' brings the curtain down.
Well done for an indie film.
tstaruch19 February 2015
I had a chance to see this film as part of a film festival that I was judging in January of 2015. I am not sure what the other "reviewers" were talking about, but they seem to not realize what indie filmmaking is all about. There are no multi-million dollar budgets or elaborate sets. You work within your limitations.
I found this to be an enjoyable film, that works within its budget limitations quite well. Yes, 99% of the film takes place within a single set, namely the main character's house. I personally think the director, Rory Abel and the DP did a great job, as it much have been very challenging to film an entire movie in the same confined space. At the same time, it gave the viewer a sense of what was going on inside the main character's mind, making us feel as trapped as he must have felt. The whole point of the film is that he is trapped in his home because of mental illness, so if you don't understand why the whole movie takes place in his house, you are missing the point entirely.
I thought the acting was satisfactory, especially Michael Jefferson in the lead role. We really got to see this guy unravel in the wake of his wife's death. Survivor guilt is the main theme, and we witness the toll it takes on his psyche. I personally liked how it became difficult to figure out what was real and what was not as the film progressed, which again, mimics what might be going on inside the mind of someone going through a serious mental illness.
The wife and girlfriend characters were very good as well, but, if I am being completely honest, the "best friend" character was a little weak and more of a distraction that I would have liked, but that is a very minor complaint.
Overall, I thought that was a very good indie film. I thought the acting, writing and direction were all up to snuff. Again, being fair, there are times when it slows down and drags a bit but this is another very minor complaint, and there is no such thing as a perfect film.
If you have a chance to see "Phobia", you should.
I found this to be an enjoyable film, that works within its budget limitations quite well. Yes, 99% of the film takes place within a single set, namely the main character's house. I personally think the director, Rory Abel and the DP did a great job, as it much have been very challenging to film an entire movie in the same confined space. At the same time, it gave the viewer a sense of what was going on inside the main character's mind, making us feel as trapped as he must have felt. The whole point of the film is that he is trapped in his home because of mental illness, so if you don't understand why the whole movie takes place in his house, you are missing the point entirely.
I thought the acting was satisfactory, especially Michael Jefferson in the lead role. We really got to see this guy unravel in the wake of his wife's death. Survivor guilt is the main theme, and we witness the toll it takes on his psyche. I personally liked how it became difficult to figure out what was real and what was not as the film progressed, which again, mimics what might be going on inside the mind of someone going through a serious mental illness.
The wife and girlfriend characters were very good as well, but, if I am being completely honest, the "best friend" character was a little weak and more of a distraction that I would have liked, but that is a very minor complaint.
Overall, I thought that was a very good indie film. I thought the acting, writing and direction were all up to snuff. Again, being fair, there are times when it slows down and drags a bit but this is another very minor complaint, and there is no such thing as a perfect film.
If you have a chance to see "Phobia", you should.
Neat little flick
Woodyanders15 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Troubled Jonathan MacKinlay (a fine and credible performance by Michael Jefferson) suffers from a brutal combination of guilt and agoraphobia after surviving an automobile accident that claimed the life of his wife. Things get worse when with the intrusion of a home invader (a creepy portrayal by Theodore Copeland) who may or may not be imagined.
Director/co-writer Rory Douglas Abel relates the absorbing story at a deliberate pace, astutely nails the nightmarish severity of Jonathan's psychological affliction, maintains an intriguing uneasy tone throughout, and wrings plenty of claustrophobic tension from the cramped confines of Jonathan's home. Moreover, Abel and co-writer Matthew Barnes deserve extra praise for not punking out with some fake happy ending. Jefferson's strong acting in the lead role holds this movie together; he receives sturdy support from Emma Dubery as sweet delivery gal Bree, Sarah Schoofs as the pasty taunting ghost of Jonathan's wife Jane, Andrew Ruth as loyal friend Taylor, and Peter Gregus as earnest shrink Dr. Edmondson. Debbie Rochon has a funny bit as an annoying religious fanatic. Worth a watch.
Director/co-writer Rory Douglas Abel relates the absorbing story at a deliberate pace, astutely nails the nightmarish severity of Jonathan's psychological affliction, maintains an intriguing uneasy tone throughout, and wrings plenty of claustrophobic tension from the cramped confines of Jonathan's home. Moreover, Abel and co-writer Matthew Barnes deserve extra praise for not punking out with some fake happy ending. Jefferson's strong acting in the lead role holds this movie together; he receives sturdy support from Emma Dubery as sweet delivery gal Bree, Sarah Schoofs as the pasty taunting ghost of Jonathan's wife Jane, Andrew Ruth as loyal friend Taylor, and Peter Gregus as earnest shrink Dr. Edmondson. Debbie Rochon has a funny bit as an annoying religious fanatic. Worth a watch.
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