Review by Emily Craig (@emillycraig)
Directed by: Sara Colangelo
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook, Jacob Lofland, Chloe Sevigny, Josh Lucas
Little Accidents is a drama set in a little Appalachian mining town. The film is about the town dealing with the stress of a mining accident which killed 10 out of 11 of its workers, the sole survivor being Amos Jenkins (Boyd Holbrook, Gone Girl).When Amos is released from hospital after the accident, he is faced with a challenging decision; will he sue the mining company and bring justice to the families who have lost their loved ones or will he stay quiet to save the jobs of the remaining miners?
We are also introduced to a young boy named Owen Briggs (Jacob Lofland, Mud) whose father died in the accident and has left the mother (Chloe Sevigny) distraught and struggling to look after Owen and his little brother, who suffers from a disability. The final character the film concentrates on is Diana Doyle (Elizabeth Banks, The Hunger Games) whose husband (Josh Lucas) is an executive for the mining company responsible for the accident. It is revealed very early on in the film, that whilst trying to fit in with some of the local boys, Owen becomes involved in an altercation Doyle’s son, JT. During this verbal battle, JT accidentally slips on a rock and dies instantly. Racked with guilt, Owen hides the body and has to quietly suffer with the torture of knowing.
I like that all the characters and storylines are interconnected in Little Accidents; the story runs seamlessly and is very easy to follow. All three main leads are exceptional in their performances; Banks is great as the grieving mother, Holbrook gives a genuine performance and Lofland shines in this just as he shone in Mud. This being said, the acting is far better than the film itself; although the plot is easy to follow and very linear, there are definitely things that I would change. For example, I dislike the fact that pretty much at the start of the film we find out that JT is dead and therefore we carry that secret till the end of the film – it would have been much nicer if we were left with a mystery and then a big reveal in the format of a flashback, as it would have made the film a bit more interesting.
I know the story deals with a somber subject, but everyone in the film is miserable; there's not even a hint of happiness or comedy and for that reason it makes for a very depressing watch. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a bad thing all the time, but for a film lacking in plot it doesn’t have much else going for it apart from the acting. Despite these little accidents, Little Accidents shows a lot of potential from female director Sara Colangelo; if she could only match her writing skills to her impressive direction she would be on to a winner.
