Another year, another Tribeca Film Festival, and another slate of mostly independent productions looking to make their mark. Zach Braff is no stranger to the indie market, as his directorial debut Garden State was probably the biggest indie success story prior to Juno. We haven’t seen much of Braff in the meantime, particularly since his hit TV show Scrubs went off the air. He’s had his share of studio romantic comedies, but has been lying low of late, and I’m happy to say that he hasn’t lost any of the charismatic charm that made him a small screen star.

What I find most interesting about The High Cost of Living is how uninspired it could have been. The film rises above a fairly well worn premise, albeit with a tragic twist, and becomes a deeply engrossing and emotional character drama. A man dealing with the desire to help a woman he hurt who doesn’t know who he really is has been done many times over, but Braff brings a level of honesty to the role that grounds it where it could have felt cliché.  Isabelle Blais is absolutely riveting as Nathalie, a woman forced to carry around her stillborn child until the surgery to remove it can be scheduled. In many ways, she’s also carrying the entire film, keeping the audience invested in her plight, even as she comes to rely on the kindness of a stranger who may be more than he appears. The rest of the cast performs quite well, but they are all much more secondary than Braff and Blais. Without those two performers, the film wouldn’t have had nearly as much to say, and it’s hard to quantify how important they are to the overall work.

From a pacing standpoint, the edit moves well, despite taking its time. I didn’t check my watch at any point, and some interesting choices with scene organization help to steer the work away from melodrama. I would have loved to have seen more of the Chinese restaurant below Braff’s apartment, or the cops who are on his trail, but the film wasn’t about any of them and the director holds our perspective quite tightly. We don’t have a choice but to see things from the viewpoints of our two protagonists, and with such conflicting ideas about each other, the whole movie works from our fascination of how they manage to interact. It’s a subtle film, and I’m not sure how well it will play with the average audience member. The art house crowd will be much more forgiving of its long silent portions, but I can certainly see a videogame enthusiast getting pretty bored. I’m curious to see what the reaction will be.

Overall, I’d say that The High Cost of Living is a great little film with a whole lot of heart and a tried and true

indie aesthetic. Bolstered by strong performances, and a good eye for editing, this becomes a much more powerful experience than its plot synopsis would suggest. Braff is the kind of actor who makes everyone else better in the process, and it’s nice to see him back on the screen where he belongs. Do yourself a favor, and don’t let this one pass you by.