The ending may be murky, but the audience’s reaction wasn’t

Macon native Tim Hall stood in the dark Cox Capitol Theatre balcony Saturday for the last few minutes of his independent film “Born River Bye.”

He’d arrived earlier before the Macon Film Festival screening Saturday to pass out free tickets to family and friends.

But he and wife, Leslie, who produced the film that was shot in Macon in November 2015, and their 1-year-old son, Davis, had not gone inside to watch it.

“This is the first screening that my parents, my grandparents and my family are there, so I’m probably a little more nervous about family seeing it,” Hall said outside the theater.

“And, it’s just tough to watch your own work after awhile,” he said. “I feel good about it. But it’s tough to sit there and see it in front of other people.”

A few minutes later, he went up the stairs to the balcony for the ending.

As the movie came to a close and the credits started to roll, the audience broke into applause. In the dark, it was hard to tell if Hall was smiling.

Most of the more than 80 people who took in the screening stayed for a Q&A afterward. Some of the questions delved into the ending, which Hall said he intentionally left “murky.”

The film, which will be shown again Sunday, is about two people in their 30s who reconnect in Macon.

One conformed to Southern expectations, while the other rebelled, Hall said. Both ended up in places they’d didn’t expect and they’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives.

Michael Stewart, of Macon, was among those who watched the film Saturday.

“It just sort of tapped into I think a lot of what a lot of people in Macon feel some time,” Stewart said. “It’s like, ‘Why am I still here?,’ and then, you sort of discover your purpose, and I think that’s sort of what that film was all about.”

Stewart said he recognized numerous sites in the movie, including the Cox Capitol Theatre and streets and alleys of downtown Macon.

“It was cool to sort of see all of that on the big screen,” Stewart said.

Arthur Gray and Hampton Gray, a father and son from Macon, also came to see the film. The younger Gray is a childhood friend of Hall’s.

“Loved it,” Arthur Gray said when asked about what he thought of the movie. “We actually had some scenes filmed in our home. So, we saw little snippets when it was being filmed, but had no idea of the full story line.”

Gray noted that Hall “likes to deal with deep subjects. ... I thought he did a great job.”

Jenny Clausen, of Forsyth, also watched the film. She teaches at First Presbyterian Day School, where both Hall and her son, Brandon, graduated from. Her son volunteered as a production assistant on the film.

“I thought the shots of Macon were awesome — the outskirts of suburban areas and the downtown area,” Clausen said. “I thought that was great.

“The story was pretty deep and kind of reflected on several fronts for younger people. So, I was trying to see it from a younger person’s perspective. But I thought it was very good.”

Joe Finkelstein, an audio, video and film instructor at Hutchings College and Career Academy, said he really enjoyed the film.

In addition to enjoying the scenes from Macon, Finkelstein said most people probably would relate to the film.

“I think all of us have questions about what we’ve done, what we’ve accomplished, the different dreams and goals we have,” he said.

Finkelstein said he thought the movie was “very, very well done.”

“It’s always exciting to see these movies where these new independent, upcoming screenwriters and directors and some of the actors and actresses who are maybe getting their first opportunity to be on the screen and having these audiences,” said Finkelstein, who also helped judge two films at the festival other than Hall’s. “I love attending and being part of the Macon Film Festival.”

Stewart also is a big fan of the festival.

“You know, I think the Macon Film Festival is one of the most unrated experiences, and I think more people need to come down and experience it,” Stewart said. “I mean it’s absolutely fabulous.”

Hall expects to film his next project about a son and his estranged father in St. Simons. He then plans to return Macon and make a movie about a high school teacher and his student who develop an “unhealthy obsession” to solve “Ted Bundy-esque” slayings.

The festival continues Sunday. “Born River Bye” will be shown at 10 a.m. Sunday at Theatre Macon, 438 Cherry St.

This story was originally published July 22, 2017 at 5:57 PM with the headline "The ending may be murky, but the audience’s reaction wasn’t."