A troubled youth learns a valuable lesson about trust and knowledge in this fantasy drama. Ryan (Ryan Kelley) is a teenager who lacks the ability to speak. One day, Ryan falls off a bridge and he finds himself transported to a strange fantasy world where he encounters his Grandpa Randolph (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and a pretty girl named Melanie (Hayden Panettiere); together, Ryan and Melanie learn to help one another with their problems, and they both discover the wisdom they can gain from elders
like Grandpa Randolph. The Dust Factory is the first directorial credit for Eric Small, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
It's the dreariest children's story I've ever seen... gloomy, depressing, and way too long. Somebody get the Hoover - back to dust is where this movie needs to go.
Two charming kids and the boy's grandfather spend time in limbo between life and death. It is a strange fantasy world that seems free of trouble except for a creepy circus, which is named the dust factory. The youngsters amidst falling for each other are forced to confront some philosophy about life and death, pleasure
and pain. Some of it is thought-provoking. Many of the special effects suggest a fantasy world I've never seen before in a movie, but it is obvious the effects had a low budget. Artistically it seemed the writer/director thought they were being clever dealing with these deep issues, but I was uncomfortable with the death themed circus and many of the grandfather's lessons were nonsensical.
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