This is the review I ran when the film played last year at Fantasia. I really liked the film. That said there has been a great deal of hype surrounding this film when it was bootlegged at the end of 2022 and became the talk of social media. I find the hype troubling since so many people are going to go into this film expecting something action packed and gory. That isn't this film which is slow, cerebral and quiet. If you can live with that you'll love this film
ALONE...IN THE DARK...AT 2AM...WHEN YOU ARE HALF ASLEEP...AND YOU ARE ONLY WATCHING THE FILM.
I say that because how you watch the film the film will determine if you like the film or not.
Shot as if it is a 1995 film with low res and highly grainy images, this is a film that is pure mood. This is a film about being a kid up at 2AM when the monsters are out. Its a film where all we see are the things as we drift between sleep and waking - shadows, doors, things in the room, and maybe monsters. Its a film with a deliberate sound track where the characters are all dialog. We really don't see anyone, jst things... well if you see someone they may not be alive.
This film felt like what I felt when I was kid in the 70's and couldn't sleep. This was everything I felt when I tried to pass the night...except I didn't hear voices....
This is an experimental throwback horror film that you are going to love or hate. You're are going to love the mood and sense of place. You are going to love some of the images/sequences which had I been watching this alone at night I would have resulted in me turning on all the lights in the house.
What is going to make you hate the film is the pacing. This is a slow film that is essentially like being up all night, "nothing happens" except what you might see in the middle of the night. This is not a film of scares as such, but built up chills. If you don't like that this film will be interminable.
Personally I love a lot of this. The mood is super. The images are chilly. The pacing is deadly and the films run time is twice what it should be. As much as I like a lot of this is there is no f-ing reason for this to be 100 minutes. None.
Reservations aside, this film is worth a shot for the adventurous who can experience it under optimal conditions
No comments:
Post a Comment