Overcome loss with the new indie film ‘Black Eyes’

Loss is one of the most difficult things for a human being to process. We not only have to deal with the grieving process, but the remnants and the memories of the person we lost once they are gone. It’s something that has been captured on film and in music for as long as the mediums have existed, and it’s at the heart of the new film Black Eyes.

Black Eyes follows a young Irish Canadian named Sean who ventures to Dublin to learn about his father’s birthplace. He seeks to make a connection with the setting, but a series of unforeseen events lands him in prison. Once locked up, the man must figure out how to get through his sentence while coping with a crippling sense of loss.

Black Eyes is the debut feature for director Dennis Long, and he drew from his personal life when crafting the story. “[The film” connects Irish and Canadian true history from an angle which I felt hasn’t been told before”, Long explained. “Though I was born in Canada, my father is an Irish immigrant and I drew from personal experience and stories passed along.” The director considers Black Eyes to be his passion project.

The intimate nature of the film manifests in Long’s directorial choices. He lets the story unfold at a quiet, reserved place, preferring to let the emotions of the main character (played by Long himself) lead the way. The decision pays off. Black Eyes makes the viewer feel as though they are eavesdropping on a difficult period in someone’s life, and this of familiarity only enhances the enjoyment.

The cross-cultural elements of the script deliver on Long’s wish of telling a unique story. Black Eyes is equally fascinated with the Canadian and the Irish elements of the main character’s journey, and they not only distinguish it from other traveling films but speak to the conflict of being caught between two different places. It’s fitting that the director holds Canadian, Irish and Polish (EU) citizenship.

Dennis Long is a filmmaker and actor hailing from Toronto, Ontario Canada. He made his acting debut in a 2009 episode of the show F2: Forensic Factor, and has since gone on to act in various shorts and TV movies. He has experience in nearly every facet of the filmmaking industry, including composing, editing, and art direction. He also served as a stuntman on a 2011 episode of the TV show My Babysitter’s a Vampire.

Long has directed several video shorts, including The Pariah Club: Summer in the City and The Pariah Club: Hug Me, but Black Eyes represents a quantum leap forward in both content and artistry. He’s here, and he’s got something to say.