"Walter" is a fun tale that is equal parts comedy and drama and pulls off both with touching whimsy.
Walter Benjamin (Andrew J. West) is special. Really special, as it turns out. He is the Son of God, chosen to select who gets to heaven, and who goes to hell. He spends his days wandering around his native Indianapolis, damning or saving everyone he encounters, all the while toiling as a ticket taker at a local movie theater.
An awkward introvert, Walter is a neatnik bordering on OCD. He goes through the same routine every day, and he pines for the pretty girl (Leven Rambin) at the concession stand, but can't get past a slimy coworker (Milo Ventimiglia, from TV's "Heroes"), who perpetually insults Walter and openly lusts after his would-be girl.
At home he deals with a shellshocked mother (Virginia Madsen), still grieving years later for her husband (Peter Facinelli of the "Twilight" series), who wants to make Walter forget his problems by cooking him eggs, and a sees a shrink (William H. Macy) who doesn't know what to do with him.
Then Walter encounters Greg (Justin Kirk of TV's "Weeds"), a ghost who hasn't yet gotten a judgment and as a result is stuck on Earth. He wants nothing more than to get a judgment and doesn't care where he goes because to him hell is what he lives, watching his wife (Neve Campbell) and kids as they take on a new family.
Walter can't judge ghosts, though, which means that he and Greg are stuck with each other. Meanwhile, Walter's curiosity about Greg's life unlocks certain secrets of his own.
"Walter" spends a great deal of time in a movie theater, making a statement about the magic of the movies and the catharsis of cinema. Key scenes take place inside a theater auditorium or in a drive-in theater.
West is best known for his role as Gareth, the leader of the cannibal city Terminus, on TV's "The Walking Dead." West plays Walter with a sort of annoyed innocence, struggling with the burden placed on him while harboring a secret or two of his own. He brings an adolescent quality to Walter, someone who is obviously confused by the human condition, all the while experiencing that condition himself.
But "Walter" isn't a story about the supernatural, it's a comedic drama, and his spiritual "job" may or may not be real, or simply a reflection of some pain he is hiding.
It's worth noting that "Walter" spent four days shooting in Indianapolis, and director Anna Mastro went to great pains to see the city well-represented. Indy residents will note that the geography is off; Walter regularly walks through Fountain Square, into Speedway, by Long's Bakery, and into the Hamilton 16 IMAX. Indy residents know each of those landmarks are miles apart, but that's not the point. It's just fun to see the city represented so well onscreen.
West, producer Brendan Patrick Hill and screenwriter Paul Shoulberg are friends who met during their time at Indiana University, and you can see their love for the city in the making of the film.
"Walter" is the kind of movie you can watch and enjoy any time, with recognizable actors bringing a new spin to a well-worn tale and crafting a fun picture with a great payoff.