FFF Review: THE APE

A man wakes up. He seems in shock. His clothes are stained in blood. He washes himself, puts on new clothes, leaves the house. He mounts a bicycle and drives to work - he's giving driving lessons. His speech is aggressive, he suddenly snaps and shouts at his driving student. Shocked by his reaction, he leaves the car and walks away - not minding the disturbed woman he just gave the shock of her life.

He walks empty streets, stops by a car, kicks and punches it, then runs away. What's left for him to do? Sport - why not some sport?! He goes to play some tennis, trying to take his mind off of something, but soon he's shouting at a formless opponent. As he goes under the shower, he tries to make contact to a young boy. "Can you lend me some shampoo?" The boy throws the bottle at it, and another one, and another one. "Clean yourself" he cries out, "and then go home! Go home to your family."

Our protagonist cleans himself, puts on some clothes, and then goes to a mall to buy a saw.

THE APE is a sober and unforgiving piece of filmic realism. In contrast to films like L'ENFANT (which I regularly trash due to its clueless and underwritten plot and unbelievable characters), the film holds up pretty well. Most of the time, it is an intense, bleak and disturbing watch, but the film indulges so much in its aesthetic it hardly entertains or enlightens. Which makes the second half of the film a bit of a painful experience - all that is left for the audience to do is wait for a resolution, whilst our protagonist stumbles through his day.

So in the THE APE is a nice small arthouse film, slow, bleak and quiet as realist filmmaking is - sadly, it would have made a much better short film due to its own emptiness. However, the best moment of the film occurs in its last minute, nicely tying the plot together, and saving the film from itself.

Rating - 7/10

FFF Review: CHATROOM

The Fantasy Filmfest this year came up with some pretty impressive highlights from the Cannes program - Kaboom, Outrage and The Silent House among others. One film however stood out, both due to its inclusion given the Cannes reception and due to the decision to make it the Centerpiece of this year. This film is Hideo Nakata's CHATROOM - according to various people on twitter "the worst film ever to be shown at Cannes" or "the worst film (the user has) ever seen)".

Given that the film was an adaptation from a play by HUNGER-writer Enda Walsh (and the script was also written by him), directed by Hideo Nakata - the guy who brought us RING and DARK WATER - and starred a variety of promising up an coming actors, it was almost unimaginable that this was the worst film to ever be shown at Cannes, let alone the worst film ever made. But it was even more curious the film was shown as the Centerpiece (maybe due to all the previous bad mouthing that went on). And oh boy...

As the film opens, we are introduced both to a setting and to a set of characters. So first the setting:

Nakata has decided to show the internet a a corridor with various side-rooms - each of them a chat room of its own. The surprising thing however is that Nakata - or rather the script - leaves most possibilities of the setting unused. We don't really see much of it apart from the aforementioned chat rooms - some of them may be darker and more morbid than others, but the ideas aren't explored in a wider context. Most of the time our protagonists sit around in their own Chatroom, talking to each other about rather superficial things. And there, we are with the characters...

All of the actors are great actors, and they all act well - with one exception: Aaron Johnson is truly terrible once he dons his Chatroom persona. He is the one that sets up the Chatroom and the one who tries to manipulate all the other characters, sure - but does he have to overact as "Mr. Evil" all of the time?

So anyways, William (Johnson) sets up a Chatroom called "Chelsea Teens", and the above cast joins rather quickly (Hannah Murray, Daniel Kaluuya and Imogen Poots are by far the most memorable here). All the characters are likable and realistic, aside from our protagonist. As the teenagers talk with each other, we become accustomed to their everyday lives, their dreams and their problems. Nothing wrong with those, apart from the fact that some of those are rather superficial. But then, after a good 30 minutes, the film shed aside all of the cast to focus on the suicidal Jim. William realizes his weakness and for no apparent reason develops the idea to make the boy kill himself because... well, why exactly? We get to know that William was, or is, suicidal himself and the son of a J. K. Rowling-esque writer who focused her book on his older brother. And from this point on, one should turn off his brain and not think anymore.

The problem here is that for a great start, CHATROOM doesn't really come up with anything substantial, logical or remotely realistic. It does neither fully explore the ideas presented visually nor the characters, and rather sets off to tell a quite boring tale of manipulation and intrigue. The Chatroom-scenes soon border on being unintended hilarious (like two of the kids kissing each other IN A CHATROOM... what did they do, type :* :* ??), and William develops more and more into the plot vessel his parents have already become (with his caring quiet mother and his raving and aggressive father).

By the end of the film, I found myself pointing angrily at the screen, shouting silent curses at the scriptwriter and the producer. Because at its core, CHATROOM is a very good film. It is well directed, acted and paced. It is even entertaining if you menage to stop to think about how stupid some of the plot is. The problem is just that we don't see a whole lot of it's qualities. However, it certainly isn't the worst film ever shown at Cannes by far - that prize may go to L'ENFANT. It rather is a clumsy try to say something important and honest about todays youth. But let's be honest - in the times of Facebook, who needs a Chatroom anymore?

Rating - 5.5/10

FFF Review: KABOOM

According to the organizers of the filmfest, KABOOM may have been the film that they had to fight for most. Gregg Araki's tenth film was withdrawn from the Frightfest in the very last second, and not intended for screening on any other filmfest for possibly months. After all, how do you advertise a film like KABOOM, which consists to 75% of teenagers that are obviously WAY older having sex and spitting venomous, humorous dialogue at each other?

If there is no way to promote KABOOM properly, let me try: KABOOM is one of the best films of this filmfest and this year!! It's hilarious, it's confrontational, it's random, it's beautifully shot, it's sexy and has a brilliant soundtrack!!

The film opens with Dekker re-telling a re-accurring dream (the sequence can be watched on youtube). We then get to know the guy a little better: he is 18, suffering from teen-horniness, queer (that means bi-sexual), drooling for his ripped yet brainless roommate Thor and a huge fan of EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY. From there, the film introduces us to dozens of completely over-the-top characters that seem to have no other reason to be there except to do random, very funny things. However, as the plot unfolds, we learn that there's more to Dekker and his everyday life than it seems at first. He seems to be followed by strange men wearing masks and soon some supernatural things occur to him and his best friend Stella, who is also bi and in a relationship with a witch...

Imagine one of those completely self-involved art/entertainment-porn films, just without the porn, and what you get is pretty much KABOOM. Closer to NOWHERE than to MYSTERIOUS SKIN, the film takes us back to the mid-90s works by Araki, yet is a lot more nuanced and well written, and thus closer to MYSTERIOUS SKIN than it seems on first glance.

When NOWHERE came out, the film was both a commentary and a testament to the Generation X and the 90s in general - KABOOM however is a timeless piece of hilarious over the top arthouse comedy. It is without boundaries and taboos and makes fun of heterosexuality and gay lifestyle alike, likely to offend extremists of both christian right wing and gay rights movements. The soundtrack spans from the 80s to last year and the cinematography is reminiscent of Kubrick and hardcore porn.

The actors range from Araki veterans like James Duvall and genre favorites like Juno Temple and Roxane Mesquida to aspiring indie darlings like Haley Bennett and Thomas Dekker. They all look, act and fit very well, tying the various elements of the film closer together, resulting in a perfectly shaped and polished film.

With KABOOM, Araki has come full circle - he has embraced trash queer and Cannes arthouse, has brought sex and fantasy, drama and comedy together. His next two projects will be "typical genre horror". We can only hope he stays on track, because if his next films are as great as MYSTERIOUS SKIN and KABOOM, there's nothing to stop Araki from becoming the next Gus Van Sant.

Rating - 9.5/10

FFF Review: CORRIDOR

This years hardest decision was which film to skip and which to see - a stylish swedish DV-thriller starring Peter Stormare or a stylish horror film in which a german doctor assembles a human centipede. Against my own better judgement, I decided to watch the swedish film.

CORRIDOR is a nice little Thriller: when a medical student moves into his new apartment, he gradually becomes obsessed with a women living above him. At first put off by her friendly and genuinely interested behavior, they slowly become friends - until her jealous boyfriend suspects him to sleep with her, and the girl suddenly vanishes.

CORRIDOR makes the best of what it's got: a claustrophobic setting, Hitchcock-ian twists and Peter Stormare. It was entertaining and clever, and even though it had some flaws, it was thoroughly enjoyable and can be recommended for a lonely evening at home. But somehow, I wonder just how sick Dr. Heiter really was in the other film...

Rating - 7/10

FFF Review: WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

There are few films that achieve what WE ARE WHAT WE ARE succeeds in. The debut feature of Jorge Michel Grau manages to combine elements of social realism with horror and poetic drama, very much like LA TETA ASUSTADA and EL NINO PEZ. However, compared to those highly flawed (and in the end boring) efforts, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is truly a breath of fresh air in the genre!

When the patriarch of a small mexican family dies, three children suddenly find themselves in the awkward position to find a "successor" among them who is worthy to be the new leader of the family. The father obviously wasn't very good - quarreling with customers and spending his money for whores, the run down watch-repair-man put his family in a dangerous position. However, without him, the family is close to their doom. The two sons of the family realize this, and with their sister, quickly come up with a mysterious theme. There is talk of a ritual, that they have to "find someone". "You know what happens if by tomorrow we don't find one?" With the sister out of the running due to her gender, the two young men have to prove that one of them is worthy to be a successor.

What then follows is a gruesome, poetic, realistic and daring chiller, filled with great symbols and unforgettable images as the boys try to "hunt" somebody down. The film is cryptical in what the main intentions of its protagonists actually are, but it is safe to say that the film deals with the problem of the patriarchic hierarchy system - present in most of southern america - and poverty. The sons both try to come up with some sort of "companion" to be the new head of the family, both failing repeatedly due to their own nature.

WE ARE WHAT WE ARE won't be a film for everybody. It is a slow paced, quiet, brooding film, that indulges both in the fantastic, the macabre and realistic, rendering it dark, daring and non-conforming. Arthouse lovers might find it as cryptic as horror fans, but ultimately, seeing how the flawed and bland LA TETA ASUSTADA was showered with praise and awards, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE with its outstanding acting, shocking yet beautifully composed images and daring central message could easily be mexico's pick for the 2011 academy awards.

Rating - 8.5/10

FFF Review: THE WILD HUNT

Every year, there's one BIG surprise at the Fantasy Filmfest - a film nobody's heard of, shot by an unknown with minimal budget, yet one of the best of the year. When I bought my tickets for THE WILD HUNT, little did I know that I was in for a BIG surprise.

As the film opens, we are introduced to a group of medieval warriors - celts, monsters, vikings - who go after their everyday business: that is, fighting, shouting and quarreling. It soon becomes apparent that something is off though, and it is revealed that the characters are all everyday guys doing Live Action Role Playing - that's right, grown adults dressing up as shamans, warriors and orks.

We then are introduced to Eric, a young man who seems to have a bad strain of luck: his father is terribly sick (probably suffering of dementia), his girlfriend has left him and on top of it all, his brother - who in LARP-world is the Viking-king Björn - has dragged her along to play a princess. Frustrated and weirded out by a guy who turns up on his doorstep dressed as a knight to collect some "mighty hammer", Eric decides to drive to the gamers camp to get his girlfriend back. However, not everything goes according to plan, and things slowly get worse.

There are many things that make THE WILD HUNT worth seeing. One of it is how Eric, who at first is a cynic who despises the role players, slowly turns into a medieval character himself, slowly adapting to his role as brother of "the Viking king" that is his brother Björn. Another reason is the hilarious dialogue and action. But the films biggest strengths lie in its story twists (which I'm not going to spoil - just as much, avoid the trailers and any kind of summary) and in its setting. Because apart from a comedy and a thriller, the film also works stunningly well as a low budget fantasy film, providing us with great characters, amazing visuals and some really bad ass action!!

One of the best films of the year, THE WILD HUNT needs to be seen on the big screen, but I assume the label might aim for a DVD release. One way or another - watch this film, tell your friends. May Ragnarok be with you!

Rating - 9.5/10

FFF Review: EXQUISITE CORPSE

There's not much to find online about EXQUISITE CORPSE. There are no screenshots, and apart from a poster and the above trailer, it's hard to find anything on it at all. So, with only the resume from the festival program, I decided to watch this "gothic love story" about a "brilliant medical student" who apparently is able to revive his drowned girlfriend from the dead, using some cells by freshly deceased aka murdered women. Sounds like RE-ANIMATOR to you???

Scott David Russell's debut feature is a bit clumsy. Shot on HD, the film looks WAY too dark, and at times it seems as if Russell hasn't got a clue what he is doing. Or, more precisely, it feels as if the director hasn't researched like minded material, such as DEADGIRL or your next door Cronenberg film.

However, the film also has some positive points to it. Nicole Vicius is gorgeous and a great lead woman. The actors - even if a bit wooden at times - are likable and mostly believable. But most of all, even though we can see most of the plot coming (such as the VERY obvious ending), the film is still entertaining. Obviously shot with few to no money, EXQUISITE CORPSE is worth a watch, even if it can be improved upon.

Rating - 6/10

FFF Review: ENTER THE VOID

Its shadow was tall, and hard to miss. Its cry was heard through streets and bedrooms. Film cried I AM ALIVE, and Gaspar Noé listened.

There is not one single frame in this film that is wasted, no shot that lingers too long, no second that can be cut out. As brilliant, as loving, as torturous, as brutal, as honest, as unique, as through and through genius as ENTER THE VOID is has nothing been for a very long time. before I continue, I must say this: ENTER THE VOID is what the title suggests! You enter a world of its own, and even when the film is over, you are still in this world - it changes your way of consciousness, your way of seeing thins, of feeling things.

The film opens with reel 1, in which our hero Oscar is in his apartment - the entire first reel has no visible cut. We are inside of Oscar, seeing what he sees, hearing his thoughts, our vision only obscured of some 2, 3 black frames each time he blinks. We learn that Oscar lives with his sister Linda (of whose boyfriend he is jealous), that he is a drug dealer and user. As Linda leaves, he smokes a drug (is it DMT, the drug that sets free a chemical the brain produces when somebody dies?) and we gaze with him at what he experiences: flowers and insects made of light, color, energy.

His telephone rings: he has to supply somebody in a bar. He tries to come down... a friend - Alex - rings his doorbell, and he lets him in. The two talk about the tibetan book of the dead (which Alex lend to m... to Oscar) and as we... the two walk through the streets of Tokyo, we gaze at the flashing neon lights around us, ponder what dying may be like, enjoy the last haze of the high...

But once at the club, something is wrong. There are screams... police?? I flee to the toilet, grab the drugs, try to flush them but some fall around the toilet and why doesn't it flush oh shit just take the pills and throwthemintherew hilsththepolicebangsatthedo orandfuckfuckfuckWHYD OESN'TITFLUSHWhyitflushesthankgod thewindownthewindowwon'topenit'sblockedhofuckinpolicethwwin

I am shot...

I am bleeding...

shotwhatsgoingonshiwashotbytheposho...

As the first reel ends, we die. With Oscar. We are with his soul now - no more thoughts, no more blinking. Where are we? Oh, above our body... where to go... Linda!! Where is she?? We fly over Tokyo, looking for Linda... entering the strip club she dances at, flying over the strippers, gazing at their naked bodies, entering rooms, leaving them, looking for Linda, finally finding her... there she is, not answering her phone... Alex must be calling her, he got away, he saw our body, he knows... but Linda, she is busy with her boyfriend, naked now, as we come closer to her body... enter that of her boyfriend, seeing through his eyes... feeling?? Felling... I can't feel, just see...

Where to go now? Past?? Present?? Future?? It all blurs, thoughts seem to get me into the situations I am thinking of, standing behind my back, gazing over my own shoulder... still looking for Linda, where is she? Where is Alex? Flying over the city, searching, searching... because there was a pact, a pact to never leave Linda, even after death, watch over her, stay with her, protect her...

As we follow the soul, no, BECOME the soul, we do nothing more or less than overlook a life... many lives. We do not just gaze at flat psychedelic effects, drug hallucinations, naked bodies or ponder buddhist philosophies, we are living another life. We experience something that is not us, yet it becomes us. The film manages what hundreds of thousands of films tried to achieve yet failed, and succeeds. ENTER THE VOID is far from being cynical, far from being dumb, far from being style over substance - the substance is a life (tell me how anything can be more substantial?)!! And we learn how beautiful life is, how unique.

Long after the film has ended, you will still be in its world, only slowly coming down, though you will have the feeling of being in Oscar's body, of seeing the world as presented in ENTER THE VOID. 48 hours after, I've still not come down from this film, my brain still trying to cope with all the images.

But there is one thing certain to me: ENTER THE VOID is a one time experience that no other film will ever come close to. It is possibly the best film of the decade, and because I am still speechless (even though I discuss the film with dozens of people - all as amazed by the film as I was, one of them director Christopher Smith -, after getting a handshake and signatures by Gaspar Noé, after hearing what he's had to say about the film), I can only give this film the rating it deserved, the rating that fits it, the rating that my best friend wrote next to its entry in my festival program. It is as wonderful, as hilarious, as stupid, as grand as life is. There is nothing like it!!

Rating - 100000000000000/10

RIP

Yesterday, germany lost an icon. He will not be forgotten.

Farewell Christoph...

FFF Review: SYMBOL

Cinema has a long history of men who wake up in an empty room with no recollection of how they got there or where they are. Vincenzo Natali visit this realm twice, with the haunting CUBE and the hilarious NOWHERE, Shinya Tsukamoto sent his protagonist to hell in HAZE, Chan Wook-Park's OLDBOY used it to start off a tour de force, SAW wasted the potential of the idea on stupid flashbacks and the promising BURRIED that will hit theaters soon is but a thinly veiled re-imagination of this theme. Somehow, the idea of being "lost" in a confined space, trapped by somebody we can't see and held due to reasons we don't understand, seems to be a central fear hidden in the subconsciousness. Maybe that is because we humans just love our freedom way too much, maybe it is because we fear of being treated as lab rats, but it strikes us every time once we see somebody in such a painful situation.

This is where actor/director Hitoshi Matsumoto comes in. But the director/star of BIG MAN JAPAN has not just done another CUBE-re-imgination - he twisted the idea of a trapped individual into an interesting, hilarious and engaging slapstick comedy.

So our nameless protagonist wakes up in... a white room, with basically nothing in it... except for... well, see above... as the plot unfolds, a few thousand of those will appear - when pressed, each will set free something completely random: eating sticks, a vase, manga-books, a pillow, a rope, sushi, a toy - you name it. However, the "buttons" have a tendency to come up with exactly the thing our hero needs/wants the least, causing foreseeable, but hilarious dilemmas.

Oh, and did I mention the dub plot of Escargot-Man, a (washed up?) mexican wrestler who seems not so keen on his upcoming match?? Well, there is.

Even if SYMBOL sounds like a mess - it is not. It is funny, it is daring and it is absolutely brilliant. The only flaw I could find was the ending, which was for its intended scope too small, yet with what came before in the film too ambitious. However, that seemed to just have been me, since everybody else loved the ending.

One way or another - this is one of the funniest films of all year!! An absolute must see!

Rating - 9/10

FFF Review: THE LOVED ONES

It's still a bit early, but who cares? THE LOVED ONES is the best horror film of the year!!

I'm basing my judgement on my personal reaction to this australian shocker. More than any other genre, the horror film plot has to generate a variety of reactions in the viewer: you have to be scared, you have to be shocked, you have to be entertained, you have to feel sympathy for not just the protagonist but every single character on screen (something only few genre films achieve since they aim to make the bad guys as inhumane as possible) and yet they also have to make you laugh and cringe. This is a whole lot that has to be achieved, and THE LOVED ONES manages with ease.

So here we go: It's the last days of school for a group of australian teenagers, and the kids are looking forward to their "end-of-school-dance". All but Lola, who's in love with Trent - because Trent is in a relationship with Mia. Unbeknownst to her, Trent's still grieving for his father, who's died in a car crash with his son driving. Trent has fled into a world of heavy metal and self destruction. However, Lola only cares for the pretty outside. And so, she asks her dad to KIDNAP TRENT AND STRAP HIM TO A CHAIR, so she can re-enact with him her very own, perfect end-of-school-dance-night, which mostly consists of boring party games, sexual advances and torture.

So whilst Trent is beaten, slashed, cut, burned and all sorts of other cringe-worthy things, his best friend has his big date - a beautiful rock-chick (see above) who's way cooler then him, making him act like a complete idiot and an oversized teddy bear at the same time. And we are also with Mia, as she fears for her disappeared boyfriend and Trent's still grieving mother. All of those side-stories are flawlessly performed, absolutely perfectly written and well paced. We truly feel with those people, even more since we know what Trent goes through. And further, even though Lola and her father and disturbingly psychotic, the audience still feels with them, as one clumsy move after another, the two just can't help but loose to the good guys... or can they?

A mixture of terror-film a la TCM or MUM & DAD and John Hughs coming-of-age story, THE LOVED ONES is one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a very long time and highly recommended!!

Rating - 10/10

FFF Review: HARRY BROWN

Honestly - in between trash triller, new french extreme and arthouse horror, it has become a rare occasion to truly be shocked by a film on the Fantasy Filmfest. That hasn't got anything to say about the quality about the films that are shown, but rather about their emotional construction. Characters have to be likeable so we care about them, the pace has to be right so the violence surprises and strikes us, the plot has to be so well constructed we forget we see a construct.

One of those rare occasions of a truly surprising, disturbing and haunting film is HARRY BROWN. The feature film debut by Daniel Barber surprises with brilliant cinematography, a haunting atmosphere, brilliant performances and Michael Caine in one of his very best roles. The opening - which I am not going to spoil and which, surprisingly, has nothing to do with the plot - is one of the most disturbing and gut wrenching scenes I have ever seen on the silver screen, and something I won't forget for a long time.

In the beginning of the film, we are quickly introduced to Harry Brown, an old man living somewhere in a bad neighborhood in London. We learn that his very sick wife is in the hospital, that his daughter died at the age of 13 and that his only friend and companion is stalked by a brutal teenage gang. A few days later, his wife has died, and the police knock on his door - his friend has been murdered by the gang that tormented him.

At this point of the film, we feel genuine sympathy with Harry, as he's lost everything left to him. Even worse, he has to watch as his neighborhood slowly transgresses into a battlefield of teenage violence. And so, Harry Brown makes the decision to do something.

What follows is one of the most dark, cynical and brutal films in recent years. Reminiscent of DEATH WISH or SYMPATHY FOR MR. VENGEANCE, Barber's debut feature succeeds in both shocking and gripping the audience. Maybe the best british film of the year (I'll reserve this decision until I've seen the also lauded SHANK), HARRY BROWN is a definite must-see for every fan of thrillers, Michael Caine and british film in general.

Rating - 9.5/10

FFF Review: MONSTERS

It is always a joy to watch a unique, imaginative and daring film that 10 years ago would not have existed due to the high price of film equipment. Funding can be a pain in the ass (especially if you aim for a genre film, and ESPECIALLY if you aim for a genre film that breaks the genre's rules), so it's truly refreshing to see a film shot for approx. 8000$ in mexico, with two actors, dozens of voluntaries, a cheap camera and a 35mm filter.

A lot has been said about MONSTERS, how unusual the film is, how dedicated the director and how daring his work schedule: Gareth Edwards drove to mexico with two actors to shoot a love story in an alien/monster infested zone. As mentioned before, he had only a camera, a 35mm filter, a mike, and a van. Everybody apart from the two main actors are genuine mexican people going about their everyday work (acting is reduced to a minimum, with few lines spoken aside from the protagonists).

Instead of focusing on the monsters and their attacks, Edwards set out to explore the rich landscape of human emotion. As the two protagonists get to know each other better, so do we. In this aspect, the film is a lot closer to Lost in Translation or Y Tu Mama Tambien. However, it has to be noted that the visuals are absolutely stunning, the (very well done) CGI and special effects are gorgeous and the above pictured scene that takes place in a destroyed village is absolutely haunting nonetheless.

So what exactly is MONSTERS? It could be seen as an allegory for post 9/11 or post Katrina america, in which couples are not only faced with their internal struggles, but also the sudden realization that the world around them is crumbling. And this is where MONSTERS packs its punches: it makes the protagonists (and us) realize that life is too brittle to waste the chances that are given to us, because in a few more hours, we might be confronted with a lot bigger problems than that our camera was stolen, our food too salty or our partner upset about something we've done.

MONSTERS is not perfect - it is very slow, though could have lasted for another 30 minutes to convey the inner life of the characters - but it is an absolutely essential and stunning film that gives the promise of a brilliant director who's just delivered his debut feature.

Rating - 9/10

FFF Review: LA MEUTE

Over the last few years, the new french extreme-wave has built up a reputation of ambitious horror films that deliver both in style an substance. Even if you didn't enjoy films like IRREVERSIBLE, MARTYRS or INSIDE, it was striking how quality filmmakers and A-list actors from france delved into genre material and blood-soaked horror films alike.

However, in recent months, the output of the newest generation of such filmmakers was rather disappointing. Last years MUTANTES for example was, whilst visually striking, just a re-hash of long established zombie film clichés. it had a twist of its own, but nothing new to tell.

So ironically, LA MEUTE has something new to tell, but somehow loses the plot midway in.

It all starts out well enough: a young bad-assed girl rides through the countryside, picks up a hitchhiker, picks a fight with some bikers and soon is taken in by a depraved backwoods-family. So far, so well. The cinematography is striking as well and the film has a gorgeous blue/silver/chrome coloring to it that looks very neat.

Even better, halfway through, the director delves into Guillermo-del-Torro-esque surrealism and presents a pretty nice mythological twist, but instead of taking off from there, we are never presented with a true mythology, never really introduced to a backstory or anything that could elevate this from what it soon turns out to be - a generic shoot-em-up-thriller, with some nice moments, but in the end nothing unique. As the credits start rolling, I wondered just what exactly took place, if any of the unexplained twists really had a meaning to them and if there was more to it than somebody in front of word thinking "Heh, THAT could be a nice idea for a horror film."

The audience received the film a lot worse than I did - sadly, since LA MEUTE still has many things that elevate it above the generic US-shocker. However, I doubt the film is more than what it feels like - a film by a fan boy that will make fan boys raving about how it can be done better.

Rating - 6.5/10

Unknown Cinema #2 - Arrebato (1980)

Arrebato - RAPTURE

Ivàn Zulueta - 1980

(a film seen through the eyes of the silver screen)

More than any other art form, film seems to be surrounded by a cloud of the occult, of the perverse and seductive. Kenneth Anger's dark rhymes or Pier Paolo Pasolini's SALO have been subject of fascination and repulsion over the years, drawing as many admirers as haters. It seems as if film is capable of hypnotizing the viewer, making him its tool, at times draining him of all emotion and life that's left in his body. It was this idea of film as a living, breathing, occult entity that fascinated David Cronenberg in VIDEODROME and Hideo Nakata in RING as much as it inspired Ivàn Zulueta's ARREBATO.

(If there's nothing on TV, the dead will walk the earth)

When Ivàn Zulueta died on the 31. december 2009, he had only directed two feature films. In the last three decades, he worked as a poster designer for Pedro Almodovar, directed various short film for television and supposedly composed a small number of short films. Arrebato was released on DVD twice - as a free gift for a spanish daily newspaper (in a very bad quality) and as a limited restored edition that quickly was sold out. It is still widely unavailable, and even though it finally will get released by the Bildstörung-label in the very near future, maybe its obscurity is for its own good, as the ideas presented here could very well make some aspiring filmmakers quit their jobs and force them to social isolation.

(my mother only let me play with scary puppets, so I became a filmmaker)

As the film opens, we are introduced to José - a B-movie director who can't help but create helplessly bland horror films. As he comes home after making some inspired cuts on his newest work, we get to know our protagonist a little better: José is a heroin addict, and he's in a difficult on-off relationship with his ex girlfriend, who's just let herself into his apartment and now takes up most of the space of his bed. He's at a point in life where his addictions have outgrown his emotions - his dedication to direct a film has been replaced with a thirst for recording (even if it is just a bland work he's shooting), his lust for life has turned into self destruction. It's in this state when he receives a mysterious package. Inside the package he finds a tape and a film reel.

(Nobody ever sends me something fun)

The tape soon proves to be a voice recording of a friend - a young man called Pedro. However, his voice on the tape is altered, reduced to a haunting growl (something Pedro claims is a result of his "personal change" that he has documented). After Pedro recalls the first moments of their friendship, he insists on José to watch the film he included in the package. As the film starts rolling for the first time, we are confronted with a series of dark, surreal imagery, not unlike the haunted tape in RING. Pedro claims that the film holds the key to his "change", and as José and his now awoken girlfriend try to make sense of the pictures, the voice on the tape slowly unravels a macabre tale of the uncanny.

(Some uncanny ectoplasm)

More than anything, ARREBATO is a film of obsessions, of addictions and of a seduction. As the throbbing, beating film that was inside the package progresses, we are ourselves sucked into the film, both spectators of and participants in an occult session to summon something from beyond the screen. In this aspect, the film is maybe closest to the writings of H.P. Lovecraft (consisting of the ravings of madmen, their last words as they scribble down their inner terror before taking their life, the horror they have seen overtaking all their sanity in a rage of otherworldly fear), but it's curious to see how close the film is to such films as VIDEODROME, RING or POSSESSION - all films allegedly made with their directors unaware of the beast that Zulueta unleashed.

Single handedly, he has crafted a film that re-defines genres, creates an aesthetic of its own and comes up with a haunting thesis: that film has a life, a heartbeat, breath and a voice of its own. And just like José, we are visitors to its realm, witnessing its gurgling, croaking "I am alive!" from beyond the screen.

imdb

RYM

article (SPOILERS!!)