Hudson: Review

20th September 2021

Hudson (David Neal Levin) is a shy, reclusive man who writes haikus to pass the time and desperately misses his mother. She passed away recently and ever since then, Hudson has barely left the house and doesn’t like to be around other people. Then one day Hudson’s cousin, Ryan (Gregory Lay) arrives and tries to get Hudson out of his shell.

Ryan is the complete opposite of him, he’s loud, brash and not afraid to show his emotions, but despite his home being intruded, Hudson is still polite and friendly to his cousin and even sees an opportunity. Being reminded of a place which he remembers fondly of an old willow tree, Hudson convinces Ryan to help him find the tree so that he can scatter his mother’s ashes.

However, along the way they meet Sunrise (Mary Catherine Greenawalt) and soon Hudson starts to realise that their may be life after death.

Hudson is a heart-warming comedy drama and feature directorial debut of Sean Daniel Cunningham. Setting the scene rather nicely, Cunningham has set the mood for what audiences may expect from an endearing indie comedy drama and that’s exactly what they get. Levin plays Hudson with all the charm and likeability that audiences will soon warm to and throughout he is always a character that the audience wants to see overcome his fears.

Lay who also co-wrote the film also comes across well and the chemistry between the distanced cousins makes for a good pairing. Also, Greenawalt’s Sunrise is a welcome addition and brings a suitably quirky performance to the film.

However, for all that the film does right, it does seem that it’s creating a mood rather than telling a story. Hudson is beautifully shot, has good performances and may give its audience that warm feeling inside that they may want from such a film. It even has a light and whimsical soundtrack filled with folk songs that go down nicely.

The problem is that it all feels rather predictable and slightly manipulative as if Cunningham is showing what he can do as a director rather than telling a story. Hudson may give its audience just what they wanted, but there’s just something missing that makes it truly stand out.

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