The first film by director and writer Travis Burgess, Hayseed is intriguing: an ex-cop turned insurance investigator comes to a small town to look into the death of a priest and determine how the insurance should pay it.

Probably its best-known actors are Caitlin Carver, who plays Cassandra and was Nancy Kerrigan in I, Tonya; Amy Hargreaves, who is Jane and was Maggie Matheson on Homeland; Bill Sage who is Leo Hobbins and starred in We Are What We Are and Jack Falahee, who is Duck McIlrath and was on How To Get Away With Murder as Connor. This movie doesn’t have big name actors but it definitely has big roles for people who get to give their all in each role.

There’s an equal combination of humor and mystery in this with neither at the expense of the other. I had a lot of fun with this film and was surprised with just how complex and well-made it is for a first-time filmmaker on a budget.

This movie was part of the Another Hole in the Head film festival, which provides a unique vehicle for independent cinema. This year’s festival takes place from December 1st – December 18th, 2022. Screenings and performances will take place at the historic Roxie Cinema, 4 Star Theatre and Stage Werks in San Francisco, CA. It will also take place On Demand on Eventive and live on Zoom for those who can not attend the live screenings. You can learn more about how to attend or watch the festival live on their Eventlive site. You can also keep up with all of my AHITH film watches with this Letterboxd list.