Streets of Wonderland. Canada 2005. Directed by Carey Lewis

Niagara Falls in Canada sure looks like a place to visit someday, as waterfalls look so beautiful in postcards. But like in every place in the world, there is something under the calm surface of a little city. In this story it's four junkies, who pay the white stuff with bashing innocent people and stealing their money. One the men, Devlin starts to think of his life and the purpose of it, as he realizes best days of his life have been far in his childhood years. His friends (or so) do not fully trust him, since deviating from the groups habits seems highly suspicious.

Carey Lewis and the Backlot Rebels -group are nice addition to microcinema's growing talent list. Lewis and and co-writer (and lead actor) Ryan DiFrancesco have crafted a script, that pays attention to characters which are mostly the dislikable ones. DiFrancesco is absolutely great as Devlin, as he can convince the viewer only with his eyes. When there's no need for words, do not use them - and this is what Lewis & DiFrancesco know too. In fact, the acting is one of the strongest parts of this film. Logan Brown, who plays Devlin's friend Connor especially has the credibility needed for the role. Brown really looks like a man you shouldn't f**k with. Laurel Broczowski as Devlin's mother is otherwise great, but there are too many similar scenes of her left for the movie, as it feels like useless repeating and underlining of her characters gullibility - or unacceptance of understanding what her son is doing.

With almost two hours, the tension suffers a little every now and then. Some scenes could have been shortened because they create few "dead" moments to otherwise great atmosphere. That is luckily the minor problem here. Before-mentioned character development and good script are accompanied by imaginative camera work, with hand-held photography in scenes that need it. All in all, Streets of Wonderland seems like a carefully planned film, which should give Carey Lewis and others a well-deserved attention.