A census-taker (Sisto) is sent to investigate why a certain small town has had the same population -- 436 residents -- for the last 100 years.
Directed by: Michelle Maxwell MacLaren
RUNNING TIME- 92 minutes
Imagine a picturesque town; beautiful old world charm, friendly folk, no crime; but the population must stay at 436.
Without giving away plot details as to why, I'll tell the story of a census taker from Chicago (Steve Kady played by Jeremy Sisto of "Dead And Breakfast" fame) who is sent to the town of Rockwell Falls, populated with friendly town folk, to take a new census and see why the population is always 436.
He is immediately befriended by one of the town's deputies who seems to be normal. As he takes his census he notices that some of the people have a blank expression on their faces. The house where he stays has a woman who also befriends him and says she wants to leave but can't. When asked why, she says the town would kill her. At that time he notices the town setting up for a celebration and that a woman was chosen as the celebration's "leader". At the celebration he learns that she was chosen to hang herself, right at the event to the applause of the crown. He is told by everyone that it is because of him. He made the population rise to 437 and someone has to die to keep it at 436.
The plot gets a little complicated but the history of the town is run under a numeric system and the inhabitants pray to this system. If a person doesn't conform, they are declared "sick with the fever", and brought to the "doctor's" house for "treatment" (which you have to watch to find out).
As the inhabitants see Kady not conforming and attempting to leave things get more serious. Does he get out or is he forced to become a town member, sort of a "Stepford Wife"? All I can tell you is that the DVD contains an alternate ending, so you can see for yourself one way or another what happens. I was drawn into this perfect small town world. The acting by the cast was top notch, with a wide assortment of normal, crazy, zombied folk, all mixed together, but you don't know who to trust. I recommend seeing this film.
MY RATING-
