Review – Ghosts and Gravel Roads

Ghosts and Gravel Roads, dir. Mike Rollo. Featuring gorgeous cinematography, this short plays out like a horror movie without any ghosts, monsters, or even people really. Instead we get panoramic shots of dilapidated farm houses in remote locations, tracking shots of dirt roads, rusted out jalopies and barnyard animals. The “ghosts” are old black-and-white portrait photographs of folks from decades past that a hand — possibly the filmmaker’s — tacks on the walls of the abandoned structures, giving the impression that these are the people who used to live and work here whether they actually did or not. Meanwhile, on the soundtrack, we get disconnected noises, everything from children playing to subway rumblings. It’s a wistful and absolutely stunning film at the same time. This is the highlight film of the entire festival.
– Mike Everleth, Bad Lit The Journal of Underground Film

Bad Lit