Director-writer Josh Melrod’s bleak, difficult film about piecing your life back together is one to behold.

Major Arcana follows Jean, whose life has been plagued by alcoholism and disappointment. When the carpenter returns home to Vermont following the death of his father, he has to reckon with some demons.

With a mother who sees him as a disappointment and an ex who wishes she never met him, he tries to prove he’s better than he used to be. Living in a tent on his late father’s acreage, he starts building a log cabin on his own.

Freeing him from a hard life, poverty and his substance abuse, he finds new hope in his project.

Starring the wonderful Lane Bradbury, Rachel Donahue and Colleen Doyle, they are all fantastic, and lend their talent to this great work.

It’s a hard watch, but Major Arcana is a well-written indie that’s worth the watch.

3.5/5 Stars