Directed by Nicholas Pesce. Starring Kika Magalhães, Will Brill, Olivia Bond, Paul Nazak, Clara Wong, Diana Agostini, Fiora Diaz, Joey Curtis-Green. (R)
Stark, sinister story of isolated, traumatized girl (Bond as a child, Magalhães as an adult) whose values are so compromised (to say the least) and curiosities so disturbing, that she's capable of horrors that feel vividly real and outlandish in the same venomous breath. To say more would spoil the disquieting surprises, but it's rare for evil to be witnessed in such confused, guileless terms that one questions the true definition of "evil" (nature vs. nurture?). Not for all tastes, to be sure, and certainly not the squeamish--there's not much blood-and-guts gore to see, but plenty is implied, primarily through the nauseating use of sound. The presentation is chilling and matter-of-fact, though the particulars of the story logic are fable-esque; more background would have helped, and there are too many irrational leaps to take, especially when the timeline shifts ahead several years on multiple occasions. Despite that significant flaw, the film is still capable of lingering, nightmare-inducing power. The Stygian shadows cast from the black & white photography make some sections of the film feel like they're being transmitted from the depths of an abyss.
73/100
Stark, sinister story of isolated, traumatized girl (Bond as a child, Magalhães as an adult) whose values are so compromised (to say the least) and curiosities so disturbing, that she's capable of horrors that feel vividly real and outlandish in the same venomous breath. To say more would spoil the disquieting surprises, but it's rare for evil to be witnessed in such confused, guileless terms that one questions the true definition of "evil" (nature vs. nurture?). Not for all tastes, to be sure, and certainly not the squeamish--there's not much blood-and-guts gore to see, but plenty is implied, primarily through the nauseating use of sound. The presentation is chilling and matter-of-fact, though the particulars of the story logic are fable-esque; more background would have helped, and there are too many irrational leaps to take, especially when the timeline shifts ahead several years on multiple occasions. Despite that significant flaw, the film is still capable of lingering, nightmare-inducing power. The Stygian shadows cast from the black & white photography make some sections of the film feel like they're being transmitted from the depths of an abyss.
73/100