“Tonic” (2023): The Perils of The Piano Man

A couple of summers ago I interviewed indie Filmmaker Derek Presley on the occasion of his directorial debut feature “Whitetail”. I liked this story of an adolescent boy forced to grow up too soon in the face of abject evil. The flick indicated promising stuff ahead for Presley.

Flash forward to now. Presley's career has, in fact, blossomed along with his production budget (funny how one begets the other, huh?).

His latest effort is the one wicked wacko night of debauchery, crime and eclectic live music chronicle “Tonic”.

Billy Blair (“Machete”, “The Last Stand”) is a marvel as Sebastian Poe, a nightclub piano player who just wants a paying gig but is forced to pay for past transgressions. Blair, an accomplished musician in his own right, delivers a yeoman performance here, inhabiting damn near every scene we see in “Tonic”. And his welcome never wears out, gliding as he does through a demanding myriad of predicaments and emotions, summoning whatever the moment calls for with captivating vulnerability and strength.

Blair’s manifestation of Sebastian as written by Presley may be that of a luckless loser. But that doesn’t mean dude ain’t one fuckin’ stout ass son of a bitch, buddy. During the course of this primordially punishing night he is socked in the schnoz with the butt of a pistol, thrown out of a taxi onto the concrete to get the crap kicked out of him and shot at repeatedly while being dogged by a deranged drug dealer.

But perhaps most heinous of all is what the crazed crooked cop inflicts upon poor Sebastian to kick off the evening’s egregious escapades among the bowels of civilization. Excruciating aggressions perpetrated south of the underbelly, both proverbial and literal, and unto a scrotum sack screaming bloody murder. Or piss, to be more precise.

“Tonic” concludes with Sebastian doing what he’s meant to do. Tickling the ivories, man. While lovely, the music he makes is melancholy. Haunting.

The bittersweet sound portending that for this crusty keyboardist, life holds little more than replaying the same old sordid and sorrowful tune.

Presley is currently touring the film festival circuit with "Tonic". One would think distributors will be lining up to buy.  

Video Review of Stunning Rock Doc

"THE BEATLES: GET BACK".

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JOHN SMISTAD, "THE QUICK FLICK CRITIC", sings praises to brilliant BEATLES Documentary "GET BACK"!! - YouTube