Eddie Lowry (Jayce Venditti) is a journalist with integrity. It's not an easy thing these days. After all, we live in a world of click bait journalism and misinformation, but Eddie holds fast to his ideals in writer/director George Jac's ultra-indie Last Chance, an Indie Rights release currently available on Amazon Prime Video and TubiTV that looks at the world that surrounds us these days and throws it in our faces. 

Eddie calls out his his own profession with an article "The Art of Misinformation," a daring and bold piece that finds the already ostracized journalist with a career hanging by a thread. With an editor, Tom (Mark Atkinson), who tries to steer him toward the stuff that really sells, Eddie resists the easy solutions and instead utilizes back page blogs where he attracts a cult-like following. A tip on a nursing home abuse case shows potential, though his editor resists it and instead Tom finds himself in a relationship with one of the facility's nurses. 

Unsurprisingly, things get even more interesting from there and eventually Eddie finds himself in direct conflict with a level of corruption that could very well cost him his life. 

What will he choose?

Filmed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with zero budget, Last Chance is an intriguing and thoughtful film that tackles big questions and draws us into Eddie's dilemma and even ask, to a certain degree, "What would I do?" This is the type of film that's always fun to discover at an indie or microcinema film fest and it's always a bit of a blast when the film finds itself with a quality indie distributor like Indie Rights. As is true with nearly every ultra-indie project, the ensemble cast can be a bit hit-and-miss but the passion undeniably shines through and you can tell they're energized by the project. Jayce Venditti gives a compelling performance as Eddie and there are key supporting players who really shine including the wonderful Paisley Bird as Trisha, Breaunna Lake as Detective Seacrest, and others. 

Lensing by Rene Salvador is effective throughout Last Chance's 90-minute running time and Subin Karkani's original score for the film companions the narrative quite nicely. 

There's no denying that Last Chance is a timely film and it uses that timeliness to create a thoughtful, engaging story told for the times that we're living in. While Last Chance won't likely be the best film you see in 2023, it's a solid indie effort worth checking out to support an indie filmmaker. Watch it for yourself on Amazon Prime Video or TubiTV.

Then, ask yourself "What would I do?"

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic