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Likeable and charismatic, Barratt is a superb protagonist, easy to identify with as everything that happens begins to push him over the edge. He's a tenacious kid, fiercely protective of Wong's equally sympathetic and plucky Piper, who is too easily deceived for too long. Meanwhile, Hawkins is excellent at balancing Laura's lighter and darker shades. Even when she turns into a pitch-black monster, a sense of desperation that almost makes us care about her.

All of this is expertly assembled, even if the story's nuances give way to gross-out thrills. With its outrageous gore and psychological ugliness, this is sometimes a hard film to watch. The filmmakers never flinch from the most graphic imagery. But the way everything revolves around a bonkers ritual undermines the more involving emotions that infuse the story. So in the end the script merely uses the devastation of loss as a gimmick leading to ever more ghastly situations. Still, the relentless horror is impressive.

themes, language, violence

28.Jul.25

Performances have an earthy charisma that's riveting. The young Cucu-Dumitrescu has a wonderfully expressive face as the tightly contained Cristi, whose emotions often get the better of him. His frustration can become overwhelming, especially in the face of Yildiz's quietly confident Yusuf. Because much of the film features only these two men on-screen, their prickly relationship is not easy to watch: both are to blame for refusing to listen, leading to misunderstandings and worse.

Along with the grittiness and powerfully immersive winter weather, the film contains elements of magical realism as these characters see events through the wider prism of their distinct home cultures. This collision of individual perspectives is what makes this movie well worth a look as a thoughtful exploration of personal beliefs and ideas. So even if it all feels a bit loose and repetitive, with several under-explained sequences, the story leaves us with plenty to think about.

themes, language, violence

29.Jul.25

Characters simplistically defined only in the broadest terms of office types whose lively party turns into a harrowing ordeal, so nothing that they do has much logic to it. And the actors can't do much with the blunt dialog, although there is some subtext about corporate greed. Thankfully, Lang and Jackson are likeable leads, giving us someone to root for, while Benvenuto and Russo nicely play up Rudy's and Blake's distinctly different loutish ways. At least it's amusing to see them try to solve life-or-death problems using office supplies.

While Konstantin makes decent use of the setting, there simply aren't enough original ideas to make this film memorable. Watching these people get picked off one by one carries the odd moment of solid suspense, as well as a few surprises. But the payoffs never feel particularly thrilling, shot in ways that leave us confused about what has just happened. Each set-piece kind of peters out before it can generate a proper jolt. And the script's topicality gets lost along the way.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

19.Aug.25