Moon Beams

NOW ON YOUTUBE! Your first taste is free while you get hooked on the magnificent indie narco-noir Moon Beams, directed by Nick Adrian and written by Adrian, Seth Henry, and Sophie Thornton. Harry Carruthers (Richard Kaiser) is the big dope dealer on campus in Mercy, Alabama; all the kids and sketchers call him The Legend. Problem is, The Legend just got kicked out of his last couch surf spot and is hurting. He swears to his ex, Gina (Azya Elrod), that he is quitting the game after this one last deal. Everything goes sideways, finishing with Harry stabbing an undercover cop (Taylor Adams) and leaving the dropped knife. He flees to Birmingham, where he fled from three years ago when things went sideways there. He looks up his former lover, Maxine Parris (Katelyn Simmons), who reluctantly agrees to meet with him.

Harry lies to Maxine, saying that he now works a big corporate job and is on the run due to gambling debts. Maxine says that doesn’t sound like the anti-establishment Harry she used to know. Maxine’s Harry lived by his own rules and would never bow down to corporate power. Harry then reminds Maxine that it was their shooting up heroin together that led them to rob that bank.

“… Everything goes sideways, finishing with Harry stabbing an undercover cop …”

Harry claims that was his wake-up call, lying his a*s off to her while a big stash of pills was in his backpack. Maxine says she is glad to hear he is doing well, even though she misses the old Harry. She is on her way to pick up a little dope to brighten up the evening, would Harry like some? Soon the pair are wandering the city night, following that invisible trail to the next fix.

I came out of Moon Beams with the same feelings I had after One Battle After Another. Both movies have astounding cores but suffer from hokey openings and contrived endings. It’s the Hydrox Paradox, where the cookie is stale, and the cream is genius. And you know what? I was more impressed with the creamy middle of Moon Beams. First off, director Adrian highlights in the film’s branding that it was DIY and absolutely cost-free. I like movies that have no budgets; in fact, I have always wondered why a lot of productions need them. One of the highest-grossing subterranean sensations of the 70s was Last House On Dead End Street, which officially had an $8000 budget, which the director admitted was spent on hard drugs, while the movie was made for free on stolen equipment. With the technology currently available, there are a lot of opportunities to make entertainment out of a budget of thin air.