Ludo (2015) Fantasia 2015

Two couples out for a night on the town can't find a place to get drunk and part decide to break into a mall and spend the night. Once there they quickly discover that they are not alone and that two people in the mall want to play a game- a deadly game called Ludo...

Before I start I have to say that the version I saw was the final cut but the sound wasn't done and the color correction wasn't finished. I don't think it changed my feeling for the film though it did make a couple of passages hard to hear.

This is a gory disturbing ugly film. Its designed to push buttons and it does so in spades. Sitting here after seeing the film I'm feeling really out of sorts. What the hell did I just see and why am I so bothered by it? I don't know.

The premise of the film is that the game is alive and wants blood and to be honest we've seen all of that before. However directors Q and Nikon take a story you know and do something with it. The amp it up with a morality tale of modern youth, they add in disturbing images, rapid cuts and a soundtrack that on it's own terms gets under your skin. What these guys have done is what every filmmaker working today should do- use their brains and their skills to make something truly unique.

Frankly I don't know if the film messed me up because I'm not used to the Indian setting or not, part of me wants to explain it all away as the result of the exotic, for me, setting. I somehow don't want to admit that the images, sounds and superior film making skills scared the crap out of me. Then again its nice to know that there are film makers out there who really can take simple techniques and a dedication to the craft of film making to make something wondrous.

To be honest after finishing the film my intention was to discuss what it does and why it does it in great detail. I wanted t kind of pull it apart and see how it all ticked. However as I moved from screen to computer a strange thing happened. I stopped caring about the details, and the flaws and instead I just wanted to feel normal again.

If you're not sure what I'm saying, its that LUDO is a visceral kick in the ass. Its a film that creeps up on you and rips out your sanity. Its a film that crawls into the dark places of your soul and gives breathes life into them. It's nota perfect film, there are bumps here and there but at the same time it over comes your defenses and takes over your mind so you can't sleep.

Thank you Mikon and Q for one hell of a ride that never ends. And thank you for Fantasia for letting me see a film that messed me up

The film plays one more time this afternoon at four. For more information and tickets go here.