Heartbreak sounds like this.
Engaging from beginning to end, Moving in 2008 is not an easy film to watch. In fact, it is truly heartbreaking as one family faces a number of crises during the recession of 2008. The film is engaging and elegant, but its truthfulness will leave you shredded and drenched by your own tears.
Written and directed by Calogero Carucci, this haunting family drama is 78-minutes of pure, heartbreaking poetry. Moving in 2008 begins with a young boy, Chase (Luca Lombardi) venting his frustration. He’s had it. It’s the fifth move this year for this family and they are operating on overload, with voices raised and tension high. Starting school in the middle of the year? It’s too much and he doesn’t want to do it anymore.
His anger, though, is diffused by the distractions of his family, which include his mother, his father, his brother, and his sister. With jokes about boners falling off, it is easy to think you can settle into the family dynamic of the LaManna family, but to do that is a mistake a novice member of the audience makes. There is heartbreak just around the corner, yet - in its bleakest moments - this family finds a way to keep it together.
And you will be engaged in this drama by their personal stories of faith and redemption. Visually spellbinding and full of unforgettable moments, Moving in 2008 feels authentic because it is EXACTLY that. 
And that’s just the beginning as the LaManna family stares at tragedy’s cold eyes. Its stone cold gaze is endless and full of grief and they can’t look away. Nothing about this narrative, which stars Noah Forrest, Joel Widman, Lisa Tirone King, and Olivia Skye Wanamaker, is going to give you security, but its honesty - as the family faces continued unemployment, long term illness, and intense, personal failure as the financial crisis of 2008 echoes on in the background - will ring true.
And thanks to the sharp eye of cinematographer Koshi Kiyokawa, it all comes together with a magic that feels effortless and spot-on. Many can remember this time in American history. As a survivor of job and housing loss, I can tell you that what this family faces is truth in storytelling, which makes Carucci’s debut film very unique indeed.
Moving in 2008 played at a number of festivals this year including Napa Valley, Heartland, Cinequest, deadCenter (Special Jury Prize Winner). It will, hopefully, be available soon via streaming services. Films this authentic are rare treasures to be unearthed and shared.
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 78 mins
Director: Calogero Carucci
Writer: Calogero Carucci
Cast: Noah Forrest; Melanie Little; Joel Widman
Genre: Drama
Tagline: Everything Just Happened so Fast.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I'm from a lot of places."
Distributor: 19th Floor Productions
Official Site:
Release Date:
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: It’s 2008, and the US economy is quickly collapsing. The LaManna family has recently moved after a series of constant moving wherever the parents — Anthony and Vanessa — can find work. Anthony and Vanessa have three children: Michael, the responsible older brother; Chase, the coming-of-age middle child; and Sarah, the seven-year-old photographer. Anthony picks up construction work in the city, and Vanessa holds the medical coverage by delivering food to patients in a hospital. As a whole, the family is augmentative and imperfect; however, they each share a similar sense of emotional affection and passion for life. As the nation’s economy starts to crumble, the LaManna's face a harsh reality when Michael is diagnosed with a fatal illness. The LaManna’s are one family among many Moving in 2008.
