Kozeniewski Last week I had the opportunity to see "I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday," the first feature-length film from friend, roustabout, and director Mike Lombardo. I'm pleased to report that the film is an unqualified success in every way.Clocking in at a lean 71 minutes, the movie is tight and almost every minute of the running time is devoted to ratcheting up the tension. As such, the plot is bare bones. An unexplained apocalypse has left the planet a nightmarish deathscape, and the air breathable only through a gas mask. Three survivors: a mother, father, and their eight-year- old son have taken shelter in some sort of fallout bunker. When the father never returns from a supply run, the mother tries to get by and finally, after a series of impossible decisions, plans to give her boy the merriest Christmas circumstances will allow.And aside from the ending (which will leave even the most jaded viewer saying "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus") that's about it for the story. The rest of the movie is comprised of flashbacks, dreams, and visions (or are they?) There are only five actors in the movie and they all do yeoman's work, but I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the contributions of Hope Bikle, in the role of the mother. All of the actors are outstanding, but the mother has the most screen time and the biggest emotional gamut to traverse. Many of the scenes are just an examination of her face, sometimes behind a gas mask (!), trying to work out what to do in an impossible situation, putting on a brave face for her son, and almost always screaming soundlessly inside. Not once did I find her wanting. Not once was I bored or anything less than riveted. A stunning achievement for a film made for $10,000.Perhaps most interesting to me is I don't think baby Jesus, Bethlehem, "the reason for the season," or a single religious icon was ever mentioned or shown. This is as purely secular as a Christmas movie can be, which is certainly a deliberate decision. This film is a Hiroshima bombing which ends "The War on Christmas" with an unquestionable victory for commercialism; a feature-length answer of "Never" to the question "When are we going to put Christ back in Christmas?""I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday" is a bleak, suffocating throat- punch of a movie, destined to become a new holiday staple. (How about playing this on repeat for 24 hours instead of Ralphie, TNT?)

rdoetjes-66151 This movie is about a family who survived an unspecified apocalypse. When Mike is asked, what the apocalypse was, he'll answer: "YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW!"Early on the Father needs to go out to forage and vanishes. We experience the story through the mother's perspective. She's a woman who's slowly coming to terms with the grim out look of their odds, if her husband doesn't return with food any time soon. At a certain point she realizes that her husband will not return and with food running low, she decides to take charge and go out to forage for food her self. A truly tear jerking scene unfolds where little Riley is afraid that Mommy won't come back either. This is the moment where the 2nd act starts and also the moment that Mike Lombardo gently sticks a dagger into your gut! All the while reassuringly whispering: "Don't worry it will be all right".But you're not going to be all right! Because during the 50 minute or so 2nd and 3rd act. Mike Lombardo will lead you down the garden path, and eventually kick you in the balls! And when you are laying helplessly on the ground, he will brutally yank that dagger up to your sternum. And shooting in your face: "Gotcha you won't be okay! But you probably figured that one out yourself already". Only to turn on his heel and walk off, leaving you in agony.This movie will play with you like a rabid dog plays with it's prey! Don't expect to be spoon fed the answers! Instead expect to be fed morally complex questions that you'll find out what you'd do in a similar situation.

todsolo I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday is the feature film debut of writer/director Mike Lombardo. There is an instant feeling of desperation, anxiety and dread from the moment we encounter our family. The writing was extremely well paced and characters were well defined. All of the performances were superb and there was a magnificent chemistry between the actors.This is one depressing film. The fact that it takes place during the "happiest" time of the year is such a brilliant contradiction. The sets are claustrophobic. The outdoor sequences capture a beautiful landscape of wretchedness. This is a low budget film that looks ten times its expense.I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday is an emotional ride and character study. Without giving spoilers, there is a specific scene that will forever burn in my mind. After the mother makes a touching decision, she leaves the room and leans against an adjacent wall. There is so much emotion to that scene it affects me as I write about it now.There are few films this depressing that I can watch over and over again. Another one that comes to mind is Leaving Las Vegas. Although, they do not share many qualities as a whole they both fill you with an overwhelming sense of sadness. But they also manage to be such beautiful films you cannot help but want to watch them multiple times.Days after my viewing of I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday an unexpected reaction occurred. Even though I have always enjoyed spending time with family & loved ones, my appreciation of the holidays and ability to spend time with those I love has forever changed. As witnessed on film, doomsday can surprisingly arrive at any time.

darkwingmantis-769-226274 I was lucky enough to see an advance copy of a little film that could called I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday directed by a man named Mike Lombardo, a sadistic, soulless filmmaker who wants to ruin everything you find cheery.On a slim budget of around 10 grand, Lombardo and his crew have managed to pull of a once in a lifetime feat by taking a tired trope, that of an apocalyptic Christmas, spinning it around, placing it firmly on its head and then proceeds to kick it in the balls.I'm Dreaming of a White Doomsday is basically a one set piece, set just before Christmas in the fallout shelter of a young family. After the father leaves to forage for supplies the mother is left alone to care for her young child while dealing with the realities of the end of the world.If that sounds like a thin as you can be plot, that's because it is and that is all that the movie needs. However, with the powerhouse performance of Hope Bikle as our mother with no rope to hang onto, you get dragged into this deceptively dark and depressing movie kicking and screaming and you will not be able to look away.If the word Indie scares you at all, or has a certain perceived notion in your head, just forget it. This movie looks and feels like it was shot by a group of Hollywood hotshots out for a good time. There was never a minute that I had the thought of "Oh, well, I see what the filmmakers were going for, but they had very little to work with, bravo to them." No, This is the movie that 10 Cloverfield Lane wished it could be.And to top it all off, when you finally think that you know where this movie is going, it just turns around, gives you the middle finger and politely asks you for your guts!The gang over at Reel Splatter Productions have put together a movie that cruises in at around an hour and 10 minutes but will never let you forget the time you spend with them. They are hitting the festival circuit now and if you have the chance, make sure you go check them out! These guys will be going far, and I for one welcome their fresh eye to the genre! Well played, boys… Well played….