SLIFF 2014 Review – THE MAKINGS OF YOU

Stars Jay R. Ferguson and Grace Zabriskie, will be in St. Louis this Thursday night (November 13th) for the premiere of THE MAKINGS OF YOU, the opening night film of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. The event will be at The Tivoli and the screening will be preceded by a cocktail party that begins at 6pm. Ticket information can be found HERE

Review by Kathy Kaiser

Beautifully shot in the nostalgic and cinematically breathtaking locations throughout writer and director Matt Amato’s hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, THE MAKINGS OF YOU tells a classic and touching story of sheer passion, love and loss brought to life by MAD MEN’s Jay R. Ferguson (Wallis), TWIN PEAK’s Sheryl Lee (Judy), and respected long-time cinematic and television actress Grace Zabriskie (who plays Judy’s mother Margaret).

When a chance meeting at Wallis’ father’s store Frank’s brings Wallis and Judy together, they both become lost in the feeling that this casual encounter between the two of them, may be something more. Even though Judy’s life is a tad bit more complicated than Wallis’s, as she shares her life with her teenage boys Roy (Grant Leuchtner) and Eric (Michael Varble) and mother too, their growing passion and longing to be together supersedes everything else in this moment in time. As they search for any fleeting moment to be together, it seems that Wallis and Judy are finding clarity for the first time, as their love for one another brings joy to all life has to offer. Wallis is ready to take the next step in their relationship, yet surprisingly, Judy isn’t sure that this is the scenario for either of their futures, as she is torn on holding Wallis back from his dreams of traveling the world, while maintaining her commitments and responsibilities at home…

You have to love a film that invites you to not only live among its frames, but to thrive amongst its passion and nostalgic feel. Kudos to Matt Amato and Jack Richardson who have brought to life THE MAKINGS OF YOU in a way that entwines its superb cast, a mesmerizing soundtrack and the breathtaking cinematography of this film so that it speaks volumes to the heart and soul – without the clutter of too much dialog taking away from it’s essence. It was also great to catch a few locals, including St. Louis’s own Henry Goldkamp playing Wallis’s roommate Carl, and actors Antonio St. James, Craig Hawksley and Elizabeth Ann Townsend along for the ride too. I kept waiting to see Sam Coffey pop into a frame along the way, but I guess all of his behind the scenes work kept him off screen.

Suffice to say that I think THE MAKINGS OF YOU is one of the cinematic gems you definitely don’t want to miss at this year’s SLIFF.