In his fantasy-rich “Ink,” Jamin Winans works from the outer edges of a dreamscape toward the heart of an allegory about grief and connection.
The Denver-based writer-director’s sophomore feature opens Friday for a run at the Starz FilmCenter. Winans shows himself to be an indie filmmaker of real ambition, honing ever-deepening skills with actors and story.
*** Sci-Fi Parable
Most filmmakers know a sci-fi flick is hard to pull off on a lean allowance. There’s a reason effects-laden flicks have such bloated budgets. And Winans gives his audience plenty of effects to gaze at: time portals, rousing battles between good and evil, and eerie characters who have screens projecting their distorted faces instead of heads.
Yet, for all of the jangling camera work and modest digital effects, it’s clear Winans believes story is the thing.
This tangled mystery about a distracted father and his young daughter is a skein Winans tugs on gently. As he does, we become more involved with the saga of businessman John Sullivan and his 8-year-old daughter, Emma, who is spirited away by a lumbering, darkly clad figure named Ink. He intends to deliver her to the purveyors of evil.
But before that abduction, a band of beings materializes on a suburban street. A multicultural tribe of sorts, they enter people’s homes, watch them sleep, bestow dreams.
Rival figures also make nocturnal visits, casting long shadows, touching the foreheads of the slumbering and meting out anguished nightmares. The type that make you wake up angry at your spouse, furious at the world, full of misery.
As action-packed as his film is, Winans is in no hurry to tell his tale. His pace is deliberate. His feature “11:59” also teased audiences with mysteries of the space-time-continuum variety.
Some scenes, particularly those in an office boardroom where John imposes his will, are overrife with edits. The frenetic cutting suggests a mistrust in character development.
Granted, John’s posturing isn’t intended to reveal his true nature. Over time, we learn why he struts and fumes. But in early scenes, John, played by Chris Kelly, pervades the air with curses and the rank energy of an angry man aspiring to be a master of the universe.
Still, Winans makes good use of sound in the boardroom scene and throughout. He also composed the atmospheric music that envelops the film.
It will be interesting to see how Winans balances his filmmaking mechanics with narrative in the future. The approach here backs audiences into empathy. Will he allow his characters depth earlier in the proceedings?
There are some especially memorable images: those evil beings with flat-panel screen faces; a shimmering, golden aspen grove where the forces of good gather before returning to do battle for Emma.
Winans teams again with his go-to cinematographer Jeff Pointer. One of Denver’s most talented lensman, Pointer helps polish the sci-fi edges. Still, there’s a grayish hue to some of the scenes, which are low-light for my taste.
Arguably, Winan’s best film remains his terrifically appealing short, “Spin,” in which a DJ sets up his turntables and spins, scratches and reworks an accident for a different outcome. It’s not as smooth a gesture as he hopes. (Search it on .)
A character very much like that conductor of cause-and- effect appears in “Ink.” Smart-talking and sightless, Jacob (Jeremy Make) arrives to help the dream dispensers track Ink and Emma.
Winans gets able performances from his cast. But it’s Jessica Duffy, formerly of Denver, who impresses most as Liev. Luminous, the actor brings a vital warmth to the story. She becomes a prisoner, but also a protector of the little girl. Liev is the kind of guardian you want on your side.
“Ink”
Not rated, with some mature language 1 hour, 45 minutes. Written and directed by Jamin Winans; photography by Jeff Pointer; starring Chris Kelly, Quinn Hunchar, Jessica Duffy, Jennifer Batter, Jeremy Make, Eme Ikwuakor, Shelby Malone. Opens Friday at the Starz FilmCenter.
