The
Man in the Silo is one of those films that definitely fits
the description that it “defies explanation”.
Part psychological study, part suspense thriller and part experimental film, the
low independent, intentionally modest picture (it runs just under an hour), gives vet actor Ernie Hudson an opportunity to give a genuine a tour de force performance.

Essentially chronicling the psychological and emotional breakdown
of a man after the death of his wife and young son, the film, very effectively (and helped
by Bernard Hermann’s haunting score
for Hitchcock’s Vertigo), paints the
harrowing portrait of a man falling apart at the seams.

His terrible situation is made even worse since Hudson’s late
wife was white, which brought about, at times, an intense racial conflict between themselves and
her relatives as well.

The film was made last year in the Chicago area and written
jointly by playwright Christopher Ellis
and Chicago stage actor and director Phil
Donlon, who also directed the film

Also, the presence of Hudson in a small indie film proves
the point (at least one that I believe)
that most actors want to do challenging work – which is why they became actors in
the first place.

So no matter the budget of your film, if the material is
good enough and if there’s a name actor you want for the part for your project, and
if they’re serious enough about their craft to always welcome a challenge, you
should definitely try to get that person. It might work out.

The Man in the Silo is now just beginning to be
shown on the film festival circuit so keep an eye out for it.