NR/Comedy/Drama/102 Mins
Written & Directed by: Bryan Poyser
Starring: Heather Kafka, Justin Arnold, Macon Blair, Aaliyah Tardio, Hazel Poyser, Yesenia Garcia Herrington, Wade Smith and Sara Paxton
Review: “Leads” follows Mags Malloy, a struggling actor/college acting professor, who years prior was the breakout star of an indie film that should have skyrocketed her career. Feeling stuck but living a comfortable life, it is quickly upended by the arrival of her baby brother, Merritt. He is immature and has a happy-go-lucky attitude and he means well. However, he is also hiding something from his sister, he is on the run from the cops. Laying low with Mags for the week, he starts to attend her acting classes. Bonding with the classmates and his new teacher/sister, he finds out he might have a passion for the arts after all. Mags, on the other hand, is having a crisis of her own. While happy being a single parent of a young daughter, she still feels like her life is a mess and has to put on a face in front of everyone instead of being true to herself. While they bump heads, it seems like these siblings need each other to help the other grow.
Both Heather Kafka (Mags) and Justin Arnold (Merritt) are magnificent as the two siblings. Their chemistry comes across as real and grounded and the way they bounce off each other is natural and always engaging. These two take these characters and give such honest performances. Embodying their flaws and all, you could see the layers and complexities.
The rest of the ensemble is also great. I really enjoyed the scenes that took place during the acting courses. It was highly entertaining seeing the talented young actors performing monologues and their comedic banter between each other. I was surprised to see filmmaker/actor Macon Blair make an appearance. I’m a huge fan of his, so seeing him portray two-faced mainstream filmmaker Taylor Betts was fantastic. I enjoy seeing Blair go from big studio blockbusters like “Oppenheimer” and still appear in indies.
Based on a story by the two leads and director, Poyser’s screenplay is witty and full of heart but also has the space to deal with serious and problematic issues but handles them with maturity and care.
I’m a film critic from Texas, I’m a Texas filmmaker so I will always support a project filmed in our lone star state. Filmmaker Bryan Poyser took advantage of that and used Texas locals in its cast and crew and even shot a lot on the Texas State campus (where he is also a professor). Even if the location isn’t necessary to the overall story, it’s nice to have a film shot in Texas and more film productions should take note.
Overall, Leads is a very human and hilarious look at a bond between siblings. It’s an honest reflection of growing up, and is just an absolute gem of an indie film. I can not wait to see what Poyser does next.
Score: 8.5/10
