Rusty is an independent film that fails to tell a compelling story. Instead it tries to weave three separate story lines into a cohesive narrative but winds up leaving major aspects unresolved and falls short.
1. You have the main character Rusty being released from jail for a crime they never really explain trying to reconnect with his daughter.
2. Rusty's relationship with a prostitute.
3. Rusty's relationship with his irresponsible brother.
If they simply focused on the main story line and possibly also the second it could have been a much better developed film. The worst aspect of the film was the second story line about Rusty's relationship with a prostitute which was left completely unresolved. While the third story line about his brother was completely unnecessary.
I generally enjoy movies about redemption, especially when it is from the perspective of someone in the wrong place at the wrong time or out of desperation but here you have the main characters apparently just making really bad decisions and then hoping to get away with them. In that regard I did not emphasize with anyone in the film and the attempt to "teach" a lesson about not judging people instead only reinforced the stereotype of why people judge others in the first place.
The acting was actually really good for an independent film and there were some nice musical montages with decent cinematography overall but I actually got bored from the repetitive motel scenes. I have never found motels to be a good set for films and it is used too much in this movie.
I look forward to seeing actress Terin James in more films as she could really hold your attention, I just wish this one was better.
