Leaving Barstow

Leave Time to Watch This One!
When I finished watching Leaving Barstow for the first time all I wanted to say to everyone involved in the film was.........Thank You. And then I went off to find a box of Kleenex.

The story of a boy, Andrew, with bigger dreams stuck in a small town trying to find the strength to go, may seem all too familiar to some, but that does not mean that this film feels old or tired or off-putting in anyway. Quite the contrary. First time writer and star of the film Kevin Sheridan has put together a script and a performance with quiet heart. (Only about 25 when he did this, he is definitely one to keep an eye on) Michele Clunie infuses Andrew's mother Sandra with characteristics that make the audience both loathe and feel sorry for her at the same time, aptly showing us where the core of Andrew's struggle to stay or go lies. And Peter Paige's direction depicts Barstow as washed out and lifeless while at the same time he keeping his actors in sharp but quite focus, thus...

Great coming-of-age film!
A boy, his dream, a choice. Good, believable characters and just enough tension in this well-paced film. A fine job of cinematography and the music is exceptional. Good show all 'round!

Leave Andrew, Leave Andrew, Run and Hide
Leaving Barstow is another independent film that will either inspire quickly or leave you cold. Chances are you will sympathize with the lead character, Andrew.

The movie is told from high school senior Andrew's point of view. The story is fairly straightforward; Andrew has to grow up for many reasons. He is dealt a hand of pretty bad cards, and is forced to do his best at being happy. One after another we meet the people that affect his life, his physics teacher, the midnight radio DJ, his best friend Carlos, his mother and her boyfriends, the restaurant owner, and, the very important, Jenny. They all have a strong impact on Andrew's life, positive and negative.

I felt a strong sense of claustrophobia, imprisonment, and resignation in this film. Andrew lives with his single mother, battling her own demons. There is an implied almost sexual relationship between Andrew and his mother, adding to Andrew's sense of being trapped in Barstow, California. She became...

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