…I became mesmerized with what was taking place on the screen in front of me.

Nobody Walks is a multi sided story of love, lust, and betrayal. The film is directed by Ry Russo-Young and is a Sundance pick that won a special Jury Prize. Russo-Young co-wrote the script with Lena Dunham, the creator of the HBO Series “Girls.” There is a lot of Dunham’s style of story telling but I’ll get to that in a bit. It stars Olivia Thirlby, John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt, Justin Kirk, India Ennenga, and Dylan McDermott. The cast is made up of either TV stars or unknowns but they all have their own talents they’ve brought to the table.

Martine (Thirlby) is a spirited girl from New York who is traveling to the LA area before she showcases her short film at an art opening. She is staying with Peter (Krasinski) and Julie (DeWitt), a typical family on the surface but there is so much more going on. Peter is a sound effects/audio mixer lending a hand but he becomes completely infatuated with their new
house guest. Julie is a therapist treating a nameless patient (Kirk) in the film and he doesn’t understand boundaries plus he’s a sex addict. The patient also has a strong attraction to Julie and she doesn’t know how to approach it. Julie also has a daughter, Kolt (Ennenga), from a previous marriage with Leroy (McDermott), a has-been rock star that Peter doesn’t exactly like. Kolt has a crush on Peter’s young assistant, David and Kolt’s language tutor has an attraction to her. There is a lot of things happening and it sounds more confusing than it really is but it all comes together for the story. As the movie progresses, all of their desires begin to get even more complicated.

Every actor is cast perfectly in their roles. Thirlby’s character just has this passion and curiosity that strengthens Peter’s attraction. She wants her time with Peter to consist of bouncing their ideas off of each other and learn as much as she can. He shows her his techniques and how sounds can be used to change the feel of the scene. The imaginative ways that they come up with to capture the sound in the world around is amazing. With as many movies that I’ve seen, I have no idea what the profession entails.

Lena Dunham has this amazing ability to make sexual situations as uncomfortable as possible but keeps it as realistic as possible. The only problem is the relationships have very little development and the audience just has follow the sorted story. It’s only a minor flaw for me but for others, I can see this making the film hard to watch. Also, watching the relationship between Kolt and the tutor was the most uncomfortable in the film. It was just very inappropriate and honestly the film didn’t need it.

The movie is presented in 1080p/AVC and is exquisite. The transfer is well done and has little to no flaws. The coloring has a warm feel and the film grain looks beautiful. There isn’t that that over processed or even enhanced look to the transfer. I also have to note the clarity of the art film in the movie. It’s in black and white of ants/scorpions in a sandy area with sharp detailing in every frame. Beautifully clean and so well done that you would never know that it was shot in 16mm film.

The DTS-HD MA audio track in this film is superb. Like the video, the audio track was mixed with care and purpose. I wouldn’t expect anything less when one of the main plot drivers is that Martine needs help mixing the sounds. The sound effects almost become a character itself in scenes. Also, the volume is normalized and very level until the effects are over driven slightly to make sure the effect is clearly heard.

There is a good amount supplements on the disc but they’re not as interesting as I would’ve liked. Not that I was expecting a huge list of special features but the best one is hands down the art film from movie, named Scorpio.

Supplements
Deleted Scene- this is a very pointless scene that wouldn’t have kept pace with the film.
Scorpio- this is my favorite supplement. It’s Martine’s complete art film and it’s excellent.
An Interview with Director Ry Russo-Young- this is an interview with the director. It has a decent length and she talks about working with the cast and writing the screenplay with Lena Dunham.
An Interview with Olivia Thirlby- this is an interview with Thirlby about her role in the film and the experience she had with her costar.
AXS TV: A Look at Nobody Walks – the cable channel HDNet is now AXS TV. This is a quick add about the film.
Theatrical Trailer- an HD version of the film’s trailer.

Edition Ratings
Rated R

Disc Details
Video Resolution
1080p/AVC

Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles
English SDH
Spanish

Despite the mixed reviews I have read about the movie, I really liked it. I don’t know if its just because I’m a fan of Lena Dunham’s or kind of an audiophile but I became mesmerized with what was taking place on the screen in front of me. It’s a perfect example of how indie films are beginning to really find their place along with big studio productions. Like I said, I enjoy going into a film sometimes with no reservations about an actor’s style or even the premise. Check it out for yourself to see an excellent blu-ray or if you’re a fan of Lena Dunham’s work.

Purchase your copy from Amazon.com