Windfall (I) (2020) User Reviews

Barkhoff's Next Era Looks Promising

[richardorchis · 10/10 · 7 September 2020]

Off the heels of his debut feature "INFINITE.", Barkhoff didn't wait at all to open any doors with his creativity in the field of filmmaking. "Windfall" is about what you'd expect to come next - an effort that builds off of the atmospheric premise of the former and continues to build Barkhoff's wishful narrative of his career. Where "Windfall" can be rather clammy with acting and plot points, the camerawork, editing, and soundtrack all account for a very entertaining feature. It's impressive, to say the least, that Barkhoff has managed the narratives he has across all of his work for his age. "Windfall" proves his desire to better the skill, and the future is open for him to wholly take advantage of the filmmaking enterprise to leave his name a branded one among the likings of Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.

Appreciate the Commitment of Dream Chasing

[wilhelmpatrick · 10/10 · 14 July 2020]

This film is unique in a manner that makes it balance itself seriously but also with a dark comical backbone. It reminds me of classic gangster films having found balance with the same riff tone humor from classic comedies. The pacing, however, is unmatched and unlike anything. The closest I can compare that would be to modern television shows centered on laws, their firms, and their clients. When it paces upwards towards it's next pivotal story, however, it becomes beyond insane. You have to keep in mind - this film is a low budget film from a group of friends just hitting that adult cornerstone. At that length, it's highly impressive. To turn and compare it to everything else that has millions of dollars tucked in it's lining for all angles of production is unfair. Everything I wrote above I mean wholly, but I'm afraid audiences beyond me won't agree with. That's for the simple fact that they expect to see a film that catches their interest and has all areas covered with hundreds to thousands of dollars. For me, however, having the privilege to see a talented filmmaker at such a young age pursuing it this much is undoubtedly the fun aspect. The director, Mike Barkhoff, was 18 upon filming and 20 at time of release, and already has a colossal resume, reaching from numerous short films to numerous web series to two films (this being the second). If you can't appreciate the commitment of dream chasing, you're inhuman. If you can, great! You'll enjoy Windfall, like I, for what it is. I just hope that if you do, you too, like I, can say that it honestly is a far superior film than it potentially could have been.