A little over a year after beginning production, one of N.H.'s homegrown feature films is coming to a theater near you.

Dangerous Crosswinds, shot last spring in 24P video at Hampton Beach, in Durham and in New Castle, along with other locations in New Hampshire and Maine, has now been edited and scored with the help of members of the New Hampshire Symphony Orchestra and Portsmouth singer/songwriter Laurel Brauns. The full-length feature film written, produced and directed by Bill Millios of New Boston, follows Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Alec Holbrook (played by Larry Jay Tish of Cambridge, Mass.) after he returns home to Hampton. Not long after he reconnects with his former professor, Harry Toland (played by Don LaBranche of Stratham), Toland asks him to participate in a mercy killing of his wife. Assisting his friends is not Alec's dilemma-he's openly advocated for euthanasia and knew of the couple's verbal agreement to act on each other's behalf if they found themselves incapacitated. Rather, Alec's problems begin when the pieces of Toland's story don't add up and his investigative instincts kick in.

The film is unusually ambitious for a local production. It was shot at more than 20 locations in New Hampshire and Maine over a two-week period in May 2004, using a cast and crew of about 50 people. The marriage of sound, lighting, script, editing, acting, production values, music and photography is one of the most complicated art forms there is. The outcome depends on the talents of many people, as well as on the skill and vision of the person in charge. Dangerous Crosswinds gets many of these things right. The compelling storyline, with several twists and turns and a focus on moral and emotional dilemmas, keeps viewers in suspense. The final cut shows some of the hazards of an auteur-driven work, though-another round of script editing could have cleared up some awkward dialogue, and while the pacing within some scenes can feel warm and intimate, or even suspenseful, overall it's uneven, undercutting the emotional tenor of the story. Despite the efforts of the actors, it's hard for the viewer to connect with the characters or relate to their perils. More crucially, a turning point in the film is portrayed so murkily-are we in the present, in the past or in a dream?-that the suspension of disbelief is broken while the viewer tries to figure out what happened, how the film moved from point A to point C without passing through point B.

The artistic elements of the movie are strong, including the cinematography and the use of music to enhance the storyline. The score, created by Jeff Rapsis of Bedford and performed by members of the N.H. Symphony Orchestra, threads through the film nicely. Brauns' songs boost the drama, striking just the right note of haunting familiarity.

Millios, who wrote, directed and produced New Hampshire's first full-length indie feature, Old Man Dogs, in 1997, has decided to bypass the traditional route of submitting to film festivals and waiting to be courted by a distributor. Instead, he's working with independent theaters in New Hampshire and Massachusetts to bring the film directly to the big screen. The plan also includes DVD distribution. In the meantime, he's working on his next feature, with many of the same cast and crew, which he hopes to shoot in May 2006.

area showtimes for Dangerous Crosswinds

Tickets are $10-$12, depending on location, with performances by Brauns. For more information, visit www.dangerouscrosswinds.com.

Saturday, June 11
Winnacunnet Auditorium, Hampton
6 and 8:30 p.m.
Tickets on sale day of show only.

Monday, June 13
Strand Theater, Dover
7pm
Tickets on sale day of show and in advance at 603-749-4123

Monday, July 18
Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport, Mass.
6 and 8 p.m.
Tickets on sale day of show and in advance at 978-462-7336