When it comes to shows that simply sneak up on you and manage to suck you in, This Is Us would be a show I never saw coming nor expected to simply fall in love with.  As a show that is on network television, it stands toe to toe with the best that cable has to offer. But what is most surprising is that what sets this show apart from the rest of the pack isn’t a complex antihero or dragons; instead it is as simple as being a show that feels as anything I’ve seen on television in some time.  As the title would suggest This Is Us is simply about a family and the struggles and successes that come day to day, though as many of you can understand and relate, there is nothing simple about life and the constant hurdles that are thrown at us on a day to day basis.  When I would listen to people talk about the show, it seemed every episode managed to make them cry or at least evoke some strong emotion.  I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about a show being so well made that it could easily prey upon the viewer’s emotions, but after only one episode I was hooked, and I was reaching for the tissues.

The first episode of a television show is generally called a pilot; it’s an episode that is made to introduce the studios and hopefully larger audiences to the show.  One of my favorite pilots was for The X-Files; another great first episode would be for The Walking Dead.  I mention these to hopefully give a little context for the statement I’m about to make, the first episode of This Is Us is perhaps one of the greatest first episodes for a TV show; easily I’d put this in the top five.

To attempt to film in a single unbroken take is an ambitious move.  Alfred Hitchock did this with his film Rope, and though it’s an impressive achievement, it’s not one of his great films. What works against the film from the start is that it has to entertain its audience from start to finish, and that’s a difficult enough task for films that have well over 1000 different shots.  It’s a bold move, and it is what writer/director and camera operator Justin McConnell delivers us with his feature film Broken Mile.  Just for a moment think about what he’s attempting: 80 minutes of filming hoping his actors deliver their lines and hit their marks, he has to hit his marks with the camera, and then while filming in the real world and not a stage, hope no one jumps in and ruins the shot.  This is far from being a safe film to shoot, but it’s an attempt I can admire, and when I sat down with the film, believe me I was rooting for it.

When Shaun (Francesco Filice) wakes up, he’s face down in a tub of his own vomit.  He’s a drug addict, and when he comes to he discovers his “girlfriend” is dead from what looks like an overdose. We stick with him as he panics and calls the police, but afraid of what can happen to him, he hangs up and calls his ex-girlfriend, Amy (Caleigh Le Grand).  Things get complicated when we discover that the dead girl isn’t Shaun’s girlfriend, but instead the girlfriend of his best friend Kenny (Patrick McFadden).  Sean bolts before Kenny can discover what has happened to his girlfriend, and this is what kicks off the film.