Fairhaven is the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. Keep in mind, we’re still ushering in the world-weary days of mid-January, a month when major studios traditionally serve up half-cooked leftovers from the year before. Fortunately, this stigma does not apply to Fairhaven, a sleepy little gem that would prove just as rewarding during any movie season.

Fairhaven is centered upon the small town reunion of three childhood friends, each of whom share different links to the same woman … each of whom are busy suffering through their own advanced stages of regression.

The pace, direction, and acting in this film are all exceptional. While the three male leads (Chris Messina, Rich Sommer, Tom O’Brien) are more than capable of holding their own, it’s the females of Fairhaven (Sarah Paulson, Alexie Gimore, Natalie Gold) who really steal the show. Their characters are so compassionate, relatable … the kind of women who make men want to fall in love again. To that end, all three actresses serve the material remarkably well.

The bottom line: Fairhaven is your best bet throughout the ides of January, assuming you’re in the market for a strong indie amidst this off-season’s usual cauldron of drivel.

(Fairhaven opens at the Cinema Village in New York and the Somerville Theater in Massachusetts on Friday, January 11th, and will also be available via Video OnDemand the following Tuesday, January 15th.)