As for the critiquing, here goes! Singh directs from his own script which centes on actor Jon Bailie in the role of Alfie, a dilapidated alcoholic gambler whose relationship and life have each entered a downward spiral. He’s indebted to a bookie while his girlfriend has fallen into the arms of another man, and following an online date gone awry, he gets an unfriendly visit from a gang of criminals that put him in a bind, forcing him to take them out the only way he knows.
Singh wrote the script and it provides for quite a few clever moments with enough development for a few of the characters to suggest why you should care. That said, much is lacking in the acting department throughout with most of the dialogue being phoned-in; point in fact, a scene in which Bailie’s character shares a chat with his cat felt much more convincing.
The film banks more on its darkly comedic elements, but does present a few moments where a fists or two are thrown, although the key action scene takes place in the third act where Bailie picks up a sword and goes to town on a room full of baddies. It’s a pretty fun portion but very short-lived and you never really learn what the purpose or the origin is for his sword skills, although it gets a brief nod in the first act.
The Recovery ends on a high note after all said and done. What it misses in drama and overall substance, it makes up for in a bit of poignance with a subplot pertaining to a missing girl, played by young actress Lea Riviere. This, coupled with a selection of tracks from Ace Records and Selrec International, Ltd. offers just a little something for The Recovery that makes it feel less like a hangover or something you might enjoy more with pint or ten.
All in all, this wasn’t a perfect piece, but I do recommend sampling it if it comes your way following its current festival run. Cheers!