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 Shadows off the beaten pathIndies, foreigns, docs and shorts...
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DERELICT |
FRIGHT |
PORTRAITS OF DANGEROUS WOMEN
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| See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 6.Oct.24 | |||||||||||||
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Derelict Review by Rich Cline | 
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 dir Jonathan Zaurin scr Jonathan Zaurin, Sarah Zaurin, Kat Ellinger, Michael Mackenzie, Todd Rodgers prd Sarah Zaurin, Andy Piper, Pete Bird, Todd Rodgers with Suzanne Fulton, Mike Coombes, Pete Bird, Dean Kilbey, Darren J King, Stacey Coleman, Nick Cornwall, Peter Mahoney, Ben Manning, Joe Nurse, Ayvianna Snow, Corinne Strickett release UK Aug.24 frf wp 24/UK 2h02  Is it streaming? |
 Flickering between black and white and colour, this moody British thriller builds a strong sense of violent tension, even if the splintered filmmaking style prevents us from getting involved in the story or characters. While it feels over-serious and overlong, director-cinematographer Jonathan Zaurin gives the film a striking visual style, skilfully shot and sharply augmented by a beefy piano-based score and powerfully internalised performances from a solid cast. After her father (Kilbey) is murdered, Abigail (Fulton) isolates from the world. But she is also repeatedly drawn to the derelict building where his body was found. She is also determined to confront the chief suspect Matt (Coombes) when he's released from prison. But Matt is a sensitive soul who was bullied into criminality by his vile big brother Ewan (Bird), which paved the way to that fateful violent night. Abigail doesn't know any of this, so her plan to get revenge becomes increasingly desperate. And she turns to her Uncle Henry (Cornwall) for help. Fragments of whispered dialog, enigmatic encounters and continual shifting between timelines make it tricky to work out who people are and how they're connected. And it takes awhile to piece together the larger narrative. Thuggish machismo ripples through various ugly confrontations, including a street thug (King) assaulting Abigail while she's walking alone at night. And the revoltingly homophobic Ewan's friend Ty (Manning) cruelly attacks Matt's boyfriend (Nurse), causing Matt to deny him, and himself. There's little lightness in this film, as each encounter is deathly serious. So the actors are unable to add much nuance to roles that remain intense and often darkly disturbing. Fulton elicits sympathy simply because she makes Abigail so steely and determined, while revealing a strong emotionality. Even more likeable is Coombes' haunted Matt, who struggles under pressure to do the right thing, abandoning his friends and falling into serious drug use. The main question becomes whether Matt can get his life back on track, or whether hell even get the chance. For Abigail, getting even surely won't clear her mind. These intriguing ideas hold the interest and add depth, especially as an extended late flashback fills in layers of back-story. But the script's splintered point of view holds us at arm's length, and the camerawork often does this quite literally. That said, a powerful thematic sting in the tail makes this a very strong calling card for Zaurin.
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Fright Review by Rich Cline |
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 dir-scr Warren Dudley with Gwyneth Evans, Jill Priest, Daniel Tuite, Jamie Martin release UK Aug.24 frf 24/UK 1h21 Is it streaming? |
 Designed like a 1930s melodrama, this British thriller features striking black-and-white cinematography, a florid orchestral score and accents that could cut glass. In other words, it looks and sounds fabulous. It also builds strongly involving tension through internalised feelings of the feisty young central character. Writer-director Warren Dudley is essentially making a pastiche, but this is also an engaging mood piece that's thoughtful, emotionally engaging and even cathartic. As she turns 18, Emily (Evans) is increasingly afraid to leave the house. And because she has been stoking those fears all her life, her mother (Priest) is intensely worried about her future. Then her mother falls seriously ill, and in her dying breath tells Emily to hide. She also something ominous about November 3rd. Now alone, Emily can't force herself to go into the cellar for supplies, let alone to the local village. Then she finds a box of letters, and Patrick (Tuite) turns up to confront both the truth and her future. Emily writes in her journal about how this enormous country house feels like a prison, and she has always suspected that her mother was hiding dark secrets from her. Indeed, her mother refused to talk about Emily's father at all. So Emily senses that there are demons both inside her and outside the home, something she calls the "black hand", which she read about in a children's book. But of course the real answers are somewhere else. "You're not here." Emily says to the nighttime. "You're not real." This film is essentially a one-woman show, and Evans is terrific in the role, creating a nuanced, vintage-style performance that adds intriguing angles to the story. Emily is on her own for much of the narrative, walking woozily through the house, frightened of her own shadow. And yet Evans still manages to evoke an inner steeliness. This especially comes into play when she confronts a man who is rumoured to be her father. While the script is relatively simple (only four people appear on-screen), there are provocative ideas about the deeper yearning everyone has to discover the truth in a bewildering situation. And the imagery is fascinating, with its textured light and shadows, strikingly framed shots and heightened emotionality.
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Portraits of Dangerous Women Review by Rich Cline | 
Is it streaming?
|  Gently amusing, this light British lark mixes offbeat characters and caper-like antics without ever boiling over into a hilarious comedy. But it's bright and enjoyable, assembled with care to bring out underlying thoughts and feelings of a collection of disparate people whose lives become intertwined. Filmmaker Pascal Bergamin orchestrates the story threads nicely, even if there's never a clear central point of view to grab hold of us. Outside an English village, talkative teacher Steph (Spark) is driving with her art-shop owner dad Jon (Jones) when they find themselves in the middle of an incident: school janitor Tina (Fitzgerald) has run over a dog belonging to aspiring artist Ashley (Prince). But this is an impulsive lie, and Ashley has no idea whose dog it is. Jon's local-cop sister Cathryn (Cruttenden) keeps an eye on everyone as friendships blossom. All are at turning points in their lives, and perhaps finding these new cohorts can give each person the push they need to move forward. Scenes are shot and edited in a loosely comical style that presents the characters as quirky people who have their own joys and worries in life, and now get a chance to share these with some strangers who might become friends. Nothing about the various plot threads is terribly compelling, including the identity of the dog's real owner, the mysterious disappearance of a collection of paintings from Jon's shop, and Steph's vaguely empty relationship with her husband (Shelford) as she flirts with the pet shop guy (Mumeni). Performances are effortless across the board, believable within the realm of this style of moviemaking. Fitzgerald's Tina is the dark horse here, with interesting secrets to share and colourful interaction that livens things up. Spark gives Steph a nicely out-of-control vibe, while Prince brings an enjoyable sense of mischief. Each member of the rather large ensemble adds his or her own quirk to the film. It's intriguing to note that the idea for this film sprang from a set of found photographs, which becomes part of the plot because Ashey collects them and plans her own exhibition. These pictures also provide the film's title, adding a lovely sense of connection between these people and those who populated this village in the past. It's an idea that is never driven too strongly, but it offers just a whiff of meaning under the otherwise weightless fluff.
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