I finally had the chance to sit down and watch Digits for the first time about a week ago. I knew that this was an "indy" film and that the budget was about 20K. Because of this, I carried a certain set of expectations. I expected that the film's physical quality would be of a lower quality, sound and film editing would be lackluster, and that the film would simply try to carry itself on some clever dialog and twists. Furthermore, the cast being composed mainly from the director's personal friends did not bode well. I was wrong on almost all counts. The film was very well shot, given the budget and limitations that Mr. Kosarko had do work with. I was very impressed with how the film was edited and how crisp and refined the sound quality was overall. The camera shots and direction played out very well given the different areas the film was shot. It was clear that this was an "indy" film. This quality ended up being part of its charm and not a detractor overall. The fear I had regarding the quality of the acting was also misplaced. Their skills in acting were much stronger than I ever expected. I really found myself impressed by their efforts. Where I was not incorrect is that the writing was pretty clever and there are some nice and cringe worthy statements made during the film. This is as it should be, as the actors are portraying High School students coming of age. There was also a nice breaking of the fourth wall in the second act that worked very well. I feel like this was a pretty ambitious effort overall. My only major complaint is that the final act of the film felt a little overwrought and stressed. Mr. Kosarko drew upon his personal life to create this story. The first two-thirds of the film felt like he was able to make sense of life experiences for not only himself but his peers, as they were growing up. The final third of the movie felt like he was still understanding what separated himself from his peers at the point of transition to perceived point of adulthood. By using only one or two aspects of his experience, he glossed over many other things that tend to crack and divide a social group. Regardless, this is something that Mr. Kosarko will only get stronger with over time. I challenge Mr. Kosarko to continue to use this lens to tell stories and now genera jump like so many other film makers. I give this film 8 out of 10. This was a very solid first effort for any film maker and Mr. Kosarko and his team should be proud of their efforts. They worked diligently with grand limitations to produce something pretty special. If you have the chance, I strongly recommend picking this movie up and giving it a chance.
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