...Around. USA 2007. Directed by David Spaltro

Doyle is an 18 year old young man from New Jersey, who moves to New York to study in film school and to live on his own. It's not so easy as one might think - his frank opinions cause confusion among the wanna-be artists and finding a new home becomes a hard task. Therefore Doyle decides to give a try to alternative lifestyle, spending his nights in railway station with other homeless people. Despite his secret dual life, he is going to start a beautiful relationship with attractive Allyson, who works in the same cafe as Doyle. Even after this, the normal living isn't for Doyle and when years go by, it's even more difficult to tell his closest friends and relatives about his secret lifestyle.

David Spaltro's debut film ...Around completed after the director graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York. This is the same place, where Doyle studies. In Spaltro's script, there are bits and pieces from his own experiences. According to Filmarcade.net interview, ...Around is not a biopic. The film goes deep into highly important basic questions, for example the meaning and the concept of "home". The character of Doyle is prepared and written with a care. This can be seen all the way from the first scenes about his childhood memories. The narration is peaceful and calm, maybe even too slow in some scenes. Luckily the young lead actor and actress Rob Evans and Molly Ryman do their demanding roles highly convincing way.

There are a lot of blurring used in ...Around, especially on the edges of the picture. This reminds me some 90's music videos, and even I don't know the main reason of this decision, it looks good. Vivid colors and capable camera work help to create and enhance the emotions of the story and characters. Although the audio department leaves little to be desired, there are problems with the dialogue. Partly because the actors/actresses mumbling, partly because of low volume or problems with the mix.

Anyway, the debut feature of Spaltro is throughout highly well crafted low budget (150,000 dollars) movie, which doesn't try to be more than it is, but still tells very ambitious little story about the life of a film student and his relationships. And also the beauty of film making. You could easily imagine ...Around as a basis for TV series, since the main events have been placed during the four years of Doyle's studies. Despite of this, the director wraps up every important detail into 100 minutes, which tells especially about the maturity and talent of a film maker called David Spaltro.