Garden Party

Written and Directed by Jason Freeland

Review By Linda Overly

When one hears the Los Angeles nickname, "The City of Angels," many wonder if they really do exist, where they are, and how do they get one?  On any given day, several young adults arrive in Hollywood with not much more than a little bit of cash, a suitcase, and a dream.  They have heard stories of people magically getting discovered and so their hopes out weight any fears in their heart of hearts and maybe, just maybe, they will find a heavenly guardian to help guide them to their true desires.

Garden Party, written and directed by Jason Freeland, reveals the gritty side of the labyrinth of characters in this intriguing story about the young and naïve and the persuasive parasites looking to grasp their souls.  Audiences may likely feel disturbed by this dark world yet at the same time fixated by every performance in the film.

The feature opens with April (Willa Holland), an innocent girl that masks her eyes raccoon style with heavy black eyeliner to look older.  While sitting at a bus stop bench, she is offered a ride by a sleazy realtor and using her better judgment, refuses. But in the next scene, desperation sets in and April takes her friend's suggestion to pose for nude photos for a lot of cash for a just a couple of hours of work, then pleads to crash on the couch with a pair of wild lesbians lovers. Trying to find a job that requires her to keep her clothes on, she goes in to a coffee house to apply for a job but her attention is quickly diverted by a stylish and mysterious woman who gives her a business card and tells April to call if her she wants a job.  And so begins the unraveling of the lives of three drifting youth in Los Angeles.

With strong determination to be famous musician, Sammy (Erik Scott Smith) is a shy, sweet, street kid who looks like he's not even old enough to get a driver's license.  After an audition to be a lead singer, the band is so impressed that they want him to come back and jam again.  But when one of the members asks for his cell phone number and where he lives, awkward and embarrassed, Sammy has no choice but to lie.

Later while walking the streets, Sammy is offered a ride and a place to stay for the night from Nathan, (Alex Cendese) who came to Los Angeles to be a dancer.  After Sammy accepts the invitation, he senses that Nathan may be gay but he is unsure.  Instead of fulfilling his dream, Nathan became a 24/7 assistant to a sultry, successful, and pot-dealing realtor Sally St. Clair (Vinessa Shaw).  As Sally's beck and call boy, he makes latte runs in the morning, and makes huge piles of document copies by night.  Though she often belittles him, Nathan tolerates her bitchy ways because his job entitles him to a car, a room at her house, and an endless supply of high quality marijuana.

The next morning Nathan heads off to work and Sammy goes back for a second audition and blows the band away with a song he wrote just hours before he arrived.  He is immediately asked to join the band and to play at an upcoming party.  At the party, Sammy and the band perform Ricky Nelson's hit song Garden Party and by chance, a screwy but successful record  producer sees dollars signs and insists that Sammy audition for him at his studio.

While there are other storylines that revolve around heavy hitting actors in the film including previously mentioned Vinessa Shaw, Patrick Fischler, Richard Gunn, and Christopher Allport, along with spot on costume design, and an excellent soundtrack, the core of Garden Party is the quest of the hopeful and endearing April, Sammy, and Nathan, where will the road take each of them and will any of their fantasies actually be fulfilled?  It can be argued that these young adults are not only looking for success, they are also seeking to be loved and a real place to call home, two other comforts none them have.

Perhaps a greater understanding of Garden Party can be found in a portion of the lyrics of the song (Birds Fly) Whisper to a Scream, by Icicle Works that is featured in the film:

We are, we are,
We are but your children,
Finding our way around indecision,
We are, we are
We are ever helpless,
Take us forever,
A whisper to a scream