{"id":8668,"date":"2007-01-27T11:33:27","date_gmt":"2007-01-27T16:33:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=8668"},"modified":"2007-01-27T11:33:27","modified_gmt":"2007-01-27T16:33:27","slug":"balance-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2007\/01\/27\/balance-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"Balance (2007)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"balance\"<\/a>Chris Sparling\u2019s \u201cBalance\u201d reminded me a lot of one of my favorite revenge films \u201cIn the Bedroom.\u201d That\u2019s a film many have written off as a blatant grab for Oscar attention, but I consider it one of the best revenge films ever made. Possibly one of the most original as well. \u201cBalance\u201d is in the same vein of the aforementioned title, yet it\u2019s also almost as good as \u201cIn the Bedroom,\u201d too. Sparling\u2019s truly good short film explores the sheer wrath of loving parents on anyone that inflicts pain on their children.<\/p>\n

He also explores the utter cruelty we\u2019re capable of when attempting to protect our loved ones, and what can drive a parent to violent acts. I was certain I\u2019d get something different from \u201cBalance.\u201d Maybe, from the description, this was about euthanasia, or perhaps a horror film, but \u201cBalance\u201d is a horror film, yet not so much a horror film. It\u2019s more about the horrors of revenge, and what small deeds can do to cause immense pain. \u201cBalance\u201d is a tight, and wonderfully acted thriller about parents who decide to \u201cbalance\u201d life after coming home from visiting their son in the hospital. The true hook is what Sparling\u2019s excels at.<\/p>\n

As the parents discuss their attempts to \u201cbalance\u201d the field, you\u2019ll be sitting in anticipation wondering what they\u2019re planning in honor of their son. And when we learn of the plot, as well as the purpose to which unfolds before us, you\u2019ll be forced to think what your stance on the events that occur, would be. If put into this situation with the child you adore, what would you do? Would revenge be an option? \u201cBalance\u201d sports some excellent acting, as well as a morbid climax that sticks with you long after you\u2019ve finished. Revenge is not always black and white, and Sparling presents the concept of vengeance in provoking shades of gray that the audience will talk of when the film has finished. Tight direction, great acting, and an interesting premise make this a worthy short thriller. Here I thought I had this pegged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris Sparling\u2019s \u201cBalance\u201d reminded me a lot of one of my favorite revenge films \u201cIn the Bedroom.\u201d That\u2019s a film many have written off as a blatant grab for Oscar attention, but I consider it one of the best revenge films ever made. Possibly one of the most original as well. \u201cBalance\u201d is in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[120,302,501,840,938,1013],"class_list":["post-8668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-indie","category-movie-reviews","tag-b","tag-drama","tag-indie-film","tag-revenge","tag-short-film","tag-suspense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}