Passenger C

A film producer is deeply affected by his experience with a troubled young man during a flight.

This feature is based on true events. On the 19th of August 2012, film producer and talent agent Cassian Elwes was on a flight, traveling from New York City to Los Angeles, when a fellow passenger began behaving aggressively, causing the plane to make an emergency landing in Denver. This movie focuses on the incident and the events that followed.

The screenplay has an interesting structure. The first half or so consists of scenes that show what took place during the flight and they alternate with flashbacks about Cassian meeting his daughter's boyfriend. After this, the narrative becomes more linear and follows Cassian as he attempts to get the making of a film (Dallas Buyers Club) in motion. At the same time, he feels sorry for Marco, the unruly passenger, and decides to reach out and try to help him.

The feature does a good job in portraying the dramatic events that took place in the airplane and the effects they ended up having on Cassian, who had a conversation with Marco in an effort to defuse the situation. Thanks to strong performances by Jon Jacobs as Cassian and Eric Bruneau as damaged former marine Marco, the interactions between them are quite emotional. Through Cassian's character, the movie also offers an insight into the film industry, which is a significant part of the story.

Filming was done in black-and-white and director of photography Andrew Parke delivers terrific cinematography. There is footage of real events, such as an Oscar Ceremony and quite a few wonderful aerial shots of Los Angeles and New York City.

This feature portrays an extraordinary real-life incident and utilises it in order to tell a dramatic story about an unlikely bond that develops between two people who meet under very unusual circumstances. It is a film that explores mental health, redemption, support, self-discovey and friendship and it raises awareness of active assistance towards war veterans.