Deragh Campbell in I Used to Be Darker (Strand Releasing)

Starring a mostly unknown cast and made by a fairly new director (Matt Portersfield), I Used to Be Darker impresses on many levels. The film was funded, in part, by a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, and it’s clear from the get-go that it’s a labor of love.

Portersfield set this film in his hometown of Baltimore, and the prominence of music throughout also lends a certain personalization. Featuring Kim Taylor and Ned Oldham, well-known American musicians in their hometowns of Cincinnati and Charlottesville, VA, respectively, the film incorporates their talents in a way that illuminates their characters’ backstories. Overall, I Used to Be Darker centers on a family in midst of many crises and their attempts to navigate thru them.

The film opens on Ocean City, MD, where Northern Irish teenage runaway Taryn (Deragh Campbell) finds herself pregnant with few options. She decides to travel to Baltimore where her mother’s sister, Kim (Kim Taylor), lives. Kim and her husband Bill (Oldham) are separated and in the midst of getting a divorce. Their daughter, Abby (Hannah Gross), home from her first year of college, is having a tough time dealing with her parents’ separation. Both are musicians, but Bill has given it up for a more secure job. This causes some contention with Kim, who has not stopped playing professionally.

Taryn’s sudden presence in their lives brings to light their underlying issues. She keeps her pregnancy a secret initially, as well as the fact that her parents don’t know of her whereabouts. Both Taryn and Abby wander in and out of Kim and Bill’s homes and lives. Kim lives a bohemian lifestyle with other musicians while Bill keeps a more traditional home, though no less filled with music. It’s clear that Abby prefers her father’s house, though Taryn’s curiosity about Kim’s more unconventional lifestyle keeps her closer to her aunt, which causes tension between the two girls.

The story moves slowly, with musical interludes sprinkled throughout. The film uses this pace to take an intimate look at the family. The setting is especially effective; both homes are masterfully decorated, giving another subtle dimension in understanding the history of these characters. It also seems like a setting unique to Baltimore, or least a place well known and loved by the filmmakers.

The performances are also noteworthy, especially Ned Oldham and newcomer Deragh Campbell. As Bill, Oldham brings truth and sweetness to a sad and lonely man who misses his family. Campbell does an amazing job of portraying a young girl who has no idea what she wants or how to fix the tough situation in which she finds herself. As an ensemble, all the actors realistically convey a family in crisis, though the film never turns melodramatic. In many ways I Used to Be Darker is a simple story without too much changing over time, but it manages to create vivid characters that occupy a convincing world.