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The lack of wit or irony in the storytelling leaves the actors looking faintly ridiculous, as they're unable to explore the more resonant angles within their characters. Each person looks like they're ready to either burst out in tears or punch someone. Wolff always has a strong presence, and has a few nice moments with Akerlie's open-minded Christine, although both are carrying heavy emotional baggage even before this narrative starts. Meanwhile, Frisch's true believer and Bose's hard-nosed Yank add some textures.

The film's somewhat mopey pace is livened up by the outrageous set pieces, including a spectacularly shot but somewhat incoherent helicopter crash and a militarised clash on a picturesque bridge. Eric's at-one-with-nature powers offer some stunning visual flourishes as well as some rather cheesy ones, thankfully without the usual Hollywood bombast. And the conclusion is creative and powerful. If Ovredal had injected some of Trollhunter's real-life zing, this might have been a solid companion piece.

themes, language, violence

3.Aug.20

Performances are superbly understated and packed with nuance, implying all kinds of underlying meanings. Tucci and Beechko are the most enigmatic, deliberately speaking in slippery terms that suggest what's really going on. And Davis is excellent as a young guy on a mind-bending odyssey, bringing in the audience as he tries to work out what's actually happening around him. The one thing he knows is that he likes Ruby, and Scott gives her an equally enticing edge, especially in her scenes with the lively, charismatic Dylan.

In other words, everyone and everything is skilfully designed to keep the audience guessing. The story develops through a series of revelations, as DiLorenzo cleverly lifts the curtain to gradually reveal the background narrative machinery. So everything that happens is both entertaining and surprisingly emotional. And while JP uses old videotape technology, the film also has a strong echo in the social media era, looking at the push and pull between an artist and his or her audience. It's also a ripping story with a properly engaging kick.

themes, language

19.Jul.20

Davis has an amazing face, underplaying Yakov as a guy who's both bored and deeply unnerved. "I'm losing my mind," he squeaks, thinking he's seeing and hearing things. There's a suggestion this isn't the first time he's experienced something like this, and the fear in his eyes is even more nerve-wracking than what happens in the shadows. His interaction with Cohen's widow is riveting. Hers is the only other fleshed-out role, conveying powerful feelings in everything she says, and reminding Yakov that he's being menaced by memories that aren't his.

The premise is relatively simple, but there's plenty of depth as one thing after another undermines Yakov's sense of reality. As a director, Thomas is happy to deploy cheap tricks as well, including sudden visual jolts and shrieking music, sometimes at the same time. As this night goes on, Yakov's odyssey gets scarier and scarier, with an added emotional undercurrent that's almost unbearable. It's a dark, claustrophobic movie that inventively gets under the viewer's skin.

themes, violence

28.Jul.20