Scott Foundas, Variety

"A brooding, unusually ambitious American indie rooted in a restless sense of historical responsibility . . .Harkrider deliberately (and quite skillfully) confuses our notions of what is and isn't "real." . . . the film exudes a sly confidence. . . . Picture is strong visually, using spare, spacious compositions that suggest a dreamlike state."

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117924315?categoryid=31&cs=1



Wendy Mitchell, Indiwire

"Harkrider's "Mitchellville" is the kind of astonishing debut film that seems to announce a new fully formed filmmaking talent out of nowhere. Harkrider wrote, directed, and stars in (with a kind of James Spader-like troubled charisma) this genre-blending story of a Wall Street lawyer with a secret past and an active imagination. This film taps into a slew of issues: corporate greed, race relations, suicide, childhood abandonment. It's also not just an ego stroke for Harkrider: he gives Herb Lovelle room to nearly steal the show as an elderly music teacher. The set design and cinematography were amazingly accomplished as well."

http://www.indiewire.com/onthescene/onthescene_040623cvff.html



Eric Childress, WGN, efilmcritic.com

"Themes of class structure and the way forms of art define our collective history all merge into a story that intrigues and ultimately moves us in a way we could never expect. This is a film which urges a second viewing to capture all of its secrets. It doesn't toy with and doubleback its audience into a corner like the later works of David Lynch and Brian DePalma are prone to do. It rewards us with a solution, but never plays like it's exclusively about catching us off-guard. Mitchellville is a thoughtful, intellectual work that treats its audience as such and marks John D. Harkrider as a filmmaker to look forward to.

http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=10076



Vegas Arts Corner

"[As] subtle ending as any I have seen in a long time. This film is beyond extraordinary. . . Only a few films weave in and out of reality as this one does with such skill. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat at each turn."

http://www.vegasartscorner.com/CineVegas/CineVegas-mitchellville.html