The Dust Factory
2004
Action / Drama / Family / Fantasy

The Dust Factory
2004
Action / Drama / Family / Fantasy
Plot summary
Ryan is a teenager who lacks the ability to speak. One day, Ryan falls off a bridge and he finds himself transported to a strange fantasy world where he encounters his Grandpa Randolph and a pretty girl named Melanie; together, Ryan and Melanie learn to help one another with their problems, and they both discover the wisdom they can gain from elders like Grandpa Randolph.
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Enjoyable head-scratcher
Enjoyed it, but disjointed
I enjoyed this movie, but I have an idea a lot was left on the cutting room floor. The hardest part of being a director is either putting your vision on the screen in under 120 minutes or creating a movie so compelling that the audience will sit for 3 hours.
There is so much we don't know about Ryan and his family. We know he is mute through trauma, his father's death, but we don't know how long since his father's death since apparently at the end of the movie his mother either has a boyfriend or new husband. Which is why I think that some of those details got cut out for the sake of time.
All that aside, Ryan Kelly and Hayden Panettiere were very compelling as the young actors. There is a sweet vulnerability about Ryan and a sad undercurrent to Hayden's joie de vivre.
There is also a very strong performance by Armin Mueller-Stahl as the grandfather.
I enjoyed the movie, as I said in my title, but wish that Mr. Small could have put his story on the screen with more clarity.