Writer/director Robert Budreau the man behind the Chet Baker film, Born to Be Blue travels to the South with Delia’s Gone. The easygoing disposition of that part of the world informs the story as things evolve in a leisurely manner. The story also reinforces the idea that secrets can be poisonous and the deeper they are hidden, the more damage they can do.
Louis (Stephan James) a young man with the mental age of a pre-teen lives with his older sister Delia (Genelle Williams) in the family home. Both parents are deceased and so Louis relies on his sibling heavily. He wakes up one morning and finds her dead in the kitchen. Although innocent he is charged and convicted of manslaughter.
After his release from prison, he returns home and thus starts his search for the truth. Untangling the details proves elusive as these secrets have been held for many years. The perpetrators of these unsavoury actions have felt the weight of their transgressions but as their lives have continued they have proven acidic but not fatal, yet.
This film is a suitable example of having all the pieces in place but the whole not being greater than the sum of the parts. There are strong performances by Stephan James, Paul Walter Hauser and Marisa Tomei but the pacing and fuzzy storyline prove problematic. In an effort to tone down the non-believability of over-stated action, the drama has gotten lost. The ending itself will divide audiences and this duality is reason enough to see it and make your own judgement.
Delia’s Gone is available now on DVD and Digital, including Apple TV, Prime Video and Google Play.
Rob Hudson
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