The Waiting is the third movie by F.C. Rabbath that I’ve seen so far. Were the other two any good? Yeah, they were decent. However, originality is a huge point-gainer for me and The Waiting is going to be the first of his flicks that sticks out in my memory long after I publish this review. Disguised as a traditional haunted hotel story, the script flips at the 30 minute mark and becomes a paranormal narrative that’s both dramatic and mysterious. Written and directed by F.C. Rabbath, the plot follows a new hotel employee trying to do his best work at his new place of employment. Once he enters a haunted room, though, a newer goal quickly comes to the forefront of his mind. Produced by Adam Bertocci, The Waiting stars Nick Leali, Molly Ratermann, Mark A. Marple, Bob Myers, Michelle Feliciano and David Raizor.
The Waiting starts with an extremely effective opening; as two maids struggle to clean the haunted room in less than a minute, the rumored time that it takes the phantom to appear. It hooked me immediately. I also noticed quite quickly that the film still contains F.C. Rabbath’s style of film-making, which is great because it’s his signature on everything he does as a cinematographer and editor. It’s easy to pick his filmography out of a line-up. Although I feel as if a few moments were every so slightly out of focus, The Waiting avoids typical independent film pitfalls and looks great on screen. It’s currently screening in select theaters in Florida and Georgia, and I can only imagine that it looks even better in a cinema setting. Go see it in Fall 2021 when it transitions to AMC theaters nationwide.
As a reviewer, I try to remain neutral and look for things that I liked and disliked. When it comes to The Waiting, though, I can’t pinpoint any glaring mistakes. Oh, except for I hated a CGI scenery at the end. The other effects, especially in regards to the ghost, were out of this world good. I loved the acting. I loved the texture of the film. And I loved the story. Again, originality is key, folks! My only real complaint is the film goes from 0 to 100, then changes to a completely different vehicle that’s a little stifled in terms of intensity. I like a constant rate or one that goes up and down interchangeably. As a mostly one-man show, F.C. Rabbath did an amazing job with The Waiting and I think it would have been a show stopper at film festivals this year if they were open. Damn you, COVID-19! I also think that he deserves more credit as an up-and-coming director.
Final Score: 8 out of 10.
