“I may be crazy, but it keeps me from going insane”

That infamous quote from the one and only Waylon Jennings is a pretty accurate way of describing Majic because once it gets over its overt wordiness, it ends up being a brilliant little mind fuck that proves you can do less with more.

Anti-conspiracy video blogger (Paula Brancati) thinks she is slipping into an alternate reality after being approached by an old man claiming to have worked for the legendary Majestic-12 (aka majic) a covert spy agency, created after the infamous UFO incident at Roswell.

For any old school conspiracy fans; Majic is just what the doctor ordered.

This is only the second feature film for writer/director Erin Berry but his extensive track record as a producer is put to good use here.  The film has some real flow and while it does stumble over some excessive exposition in the first act it settles into a very nice storytelling groove.  Berry smartly keeps the visual sets ups simple and compelling making those few moments where he has to use some special effects have that much more impact and with a very strong leading performance it doesn’t take much to get us roped in.

Paula Brancati is a hardworking Canadian actor whose been on the scene pretty consistently for quite some time as she’s proven here once again, she’d due for a breakout role any minute.  As our conspiracy theorist she makes for a great hero looking for the truth down a road that is ultimately bringing up more questions than it does answers, and she makes us give a damn about her which makes the twist at the end all the more intense.

Majic is proof positive, that low-fi can still get in your head in a major way.

Majic screens with the short film Songs My Mother Taught Me preceding it from director Doug Cook.  While I don’t necessarily understand the pairing with its feature it’s a slick little effort that takes place at a Halloween party being held in the effort of some cheering up some friends who just lost their mother.  However, when the Ouija board comes out it just proves how complex the grieving process can be and is proof positive that sometimes you just need to leave the dead alone…because god only knows what you’ll wake up.