True Blue

In Atlantic City on a lonely night, two strangers cross paths and share the evening together. A soulful 16mm portrait of two men and their unlikely connection, by director Chris Osborn, “True Blue” draws its characters perhaps as symbols of a faded American dream, but does so with complexity and warmth. We find Larry in a hotel conference room giving a presentation on a dubious scheme called Aqua Vita. He makes a charismatic case in his attempt to recruit new salespeople to the company but there’s warning flags all over. And the same could be said about his personal life. After the pitch, he aimlessly wanders around the city, nowhere to go, no one to meet. Until, by chance, he’s captivated by a man performing karaoke. They strike up a conversation, and then more. David Warshofsky and Michael James Shaw are both riveting performers and the film built around them registers as a sad romance, to lost people and a lost place, filmed in beautifully textured images by cinematographer Jeff Melanson (see also “Shelly,” and “This is Alice”). [Watch on YouTube]. (19 minutes). Written and directed by Chris Osborn. Starring David Warshofsky and Michael James Shaw. Director of Photography Jeff Melanson. Produced by Chris Osborn, Breanne Thomas, Kati Skelton and Riley Carithers. Co-Produced by Kenny Suleimanagich and Taylor Shung. Edited by Daniel Johnson.

For more on the film, check out our new interview with director Chris Osborn at the NoBudge Members Only site.

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