Marni Grable (Ann Tiemann Loggins) returns home after inheriting her father's estate, a return that doesn't exactly excite her as it's clearly a life she's worked hard to put behind her. A profiler for the State of Nebraska, Marni couldn't possibly know what memories might haunt the old homestead.

As it turns out, a whole lot has changed on Section 5. Her father was renting a section of his property to a guy that nobody in the town really knows, a fact that doesn't sit particularly well when Marni learns that a local girl is missing and she's not the first one.

Section 5 benefits greatly from a terrific ensemble cast headed up by Ann Tiemann Loggins's disciplined yet dramatically resonant performance as Marni. Both vulnerable and tremendously strong, Loggins serves up a woman whose past is obviously a part of who she is know yet also a woman whose strength allows the film to keep moving forward. DeFord does a terrific job of building an involving story without giving everything away too soon, and while 70 minutes may seem a bit slight for a full-length feature it works out well for Section 5.

Music from Virgil Franklin and Jay Vernali is top notch and helps set a terrific tone for the film, while supporting players Natasha Shuck, Sheila Mellon and D.J. Mincy all help to add up to a better than one usually expects from a low-budget indie ensemble cast.

For more information on Section 5, be sure to visit the Oak Road Multimedia website linked to in the credits.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic