Paul Allaer "Anesthesia" (2015 release; 90 min.) brings a sprawling story involving a seemingly unconnected group of people in New York. As the movie opens, we see an older guy walking home, buying flowers for someone (his wife we presume), and then just as he gets to his building, something terrible happens, as he is being buzzed in by a neighbor. The movie then goes back in time, and we get to know a slew of people, and how eventually it becomes clear that all of their lives are interconnected, directly or indirectly. At this point we're not event 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.Couple of comments: this movie is nothing short of being a labor of love from Tim Blake Nelson, who wrote, directed, co-produced and for good measure also stars as one of the characters in the large ensemble (playing the son of the older guy). Here Nelson (best known for his acting work) brings us a complicated character study of mostly flawed characters who are dealing with demons of various kinds. Because of the strong story-telling and plot-driven context, it would be inappropriate for me to say much more than that. The movie features a number of noteworthy performances, none more so than Sam "Law & Order" Waterston as the philosophy professor who is pondering his options as his long and distinguished academic career is winding down. What an acting talent this is, a crisp mid-70 years young when this was filmed. Kristen Stewart (as the troubled philosophy masters student) is 180 degrees away from her "Twilight" franchise role, and makes the most of her brief screen time in this. Canadian composer Jeff Danna provides a lovely orchestra score.This movie was filmed in 2013, and premiered to positive acclaim at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, but it sank like a stone upon its brief theatrical release in early 2016 (it never even made it to my art-house theater here in Cincinnati). A darn shame. But the movie seems to have found a second wind with the subsequent VOD, TV and DVD releases. I happen to catch it on SHO the other night, and I absolutely loved this movie. No, this isn't a 'jolly good time' as the movie is serious and complicated, but I loved spending time with these characters and wasn't ready to say goodbye when the movie's end credits started rolling. "Anesthesia" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Argemaluco Anesthesia offers various pros, but I have to say it didn't leave me totally satisfied. On the positive side, the performances are excellent. From veterans such as Sam Waterston and Glenn Close to youngsters like Hannah Marks and Ben Konigsberg, everyone makes a perfect work, and there isn't a single weak link in the cast. My favorite character of the film was the one played by Waterston, not only due to his intelligence and humbleness, but also because he says the powerful monologue which encompasses the multiple themes of the movie. However, I think director and screenwriter Tim Blake Nelson (who is also part of the cast) wasn't able to integrate the sub-plots into a consistent story. I guess that, as an actor/filmmaker, his main interest was capturing honest dramatic moments, bringing the necessary material to make the actors stand out. That's a valid strategy, but, at the same time, I think he sacrificed the narrative cohesion of the whole movie, and as a consequence, the individual scenes are much more interesting than the whole experience. Despite that and the occasional artistic pretensions, Anesthesia is deep and entertaining enough to capture the audience's attention. In the "interlocking stories" movie category, Anesthesia is definitely far from the level of Magnolia, Crash (2004) or Pulp Fiction, but I would place it on par with other indie productions such as The Air I Breathe, 11:14 or Playing by Heart. Like those films, Anesthesia can be enjoyed for a moment, in order to immediately become trivia we will eventually forget.

Reno Rangan It is not great, but still a good film. Starred in an important role and directed by Tim Blake Nelson. I think he also wrote it decently that remind us similar classics. A multi-layered narrative, where everyone has connections or meets at one stage of the story. It sets in one fine evening followed by a mysterious tragedy. Then the story moves back in time for days to introduce all the characters and their intentions in the life. Different families dealing the different issues, but they all lead to that particular evening where it somewhere links them in and bring a fitting end with a twist.So when the film nears the final segment, the curious among us rises. The common mistake we make while predicting the end is once again certain when the final push successfully takes us by a surprise. I am not saying it is a masterstroke, but comparing with the rest of the film, it was good. An independent drama film, except some sexual and drug references, it can be watched by the adults and matured teens, but the pace might trouble you in some parts with slowing a bit. Actors were awesome. Since it is a multi-starrer, everyone had small screenspace, but excelled in that. The disappointment is Kristen Stewart, if you are going to expect more from her role. So the film lacks the star value. Having a good story, but not having the marketable stars made the film to sink deep bottom without a trace. Yep, as for now it needs more viewers, despite whatever result it produces. Other than that this film surely not bad as it was tagged. I will definitely recommend it.7/10

subxerogravity It's a series of short films tied together tightly to make one feature. Tim Black Nelson does a good job at directing himself and a group of strong actors in this film about dealing with the choices we make while living our lives, from a variety of different levels, which makes it such a perfect film about New York.Everyone was good, but I gravitate greatly towards the performance of Micheal K. Williams whose doing something far different than the roles that he's really known for. The whole movie was a masterpiece. Such an amazing set of stories being told.