Oliver Sherman

Oliver Sherman is an almost extraordinarily subdued little drama detailing the trouble that ensues after the title character (Garret Dillahunt) arrives on the doorstep of a former wartime colleague (Donal Logue’s Franklin Page), with Franklin’s efforts at making Sherman feel at home ultimately complicated by the character’s inability to let go of the past. Filmmaker Ryan Redford has infused Oliver Sherman with a low-key sensibility that ultimately pervades every aspect of the proceedings, with the deliberate pace and uneventful narrative certainly ensuring that the movie is never quite as riveting as one imagines it’s meant to be. There’s little doubt, however, that the film boasts an impressive undercurrent of suspense, as one is never entirely sure if the whole thing is meant to come off as a subtle character study or as something just a little more sinister (ie what is Sherman up to, exactly?) Dillahunt’s remarkably subtle performance certainly goes a long way towards holding the viewer’s interest, yet it’s worth nothing that the narrative is occasionally just a little bit more predictable than one might’ve liked (ie when Sherman offers to carry two plates of hot dogs, you just know something is going to go horribly wrong). And while this does ensure that the movie is often more effective as an actor’s showcase than as a fully realized cinematic experience, Oliver Sherman is certainly never dull and it’s also worth noting that the expectedly low-key finale does pack far more of an emotional punch than one might’ve anticipated.

*** out of ****