In his first full length feature film writer and director Jonathan Cuartas brings us something that is half family drama and half new take on a familiar horror theme. Starring is Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous and First Man), Ingrid Sophie Schram (Phantom Thread and Licorice Pizza), and Owen Campbell (Super Dark Times and As You Are) as three siblings: Dwight, Jessie, and Thomas. Dwight and Jessie are forced to go to extreme lengths to help their younger brother Thomas. Thomas suffers from a mysterious illness that requires unusual treatment. Dwight is tired of dedicating so much of his life to taking care of his brother but he is constantly forced into helping “one more time” by Jessie. This is a different film than I am used to. It’s slow, depressing, and sad but those descriptions are by no means meant to criticize the film.
I say that so any potential viewers will know ahead of time what they are in for except of course for the big part of the story I won’t spoil here. If you were inclined to google the film, the answer is not difficult to find though. It was an ambitious story that while I enjoyed it, I’m not sure it went where it was supposed to go. Fugit and Schram are very good here and I believed they were bickering siblings. And I need someone to do an ancestry test on Campbell as I am sure he is related to the Culkin family somehow. I would have liked to have seen the story from a little earlier in the progression, but we get what we get. It’s probably closer to two and a half but I will give it a little boost for originality and go three gold teeth out of five for this indie horror film disguised as a family drama. Or maybe it’s the other way around; a family drama disguised as an indie horror. Oh, I like that!
Hold up how am I supposed to tell which movie is orange and which is green?!?!?!? I'm not being frivolous, you understand, this is actually very important to me!
ReplyDeleteWhaddaya mean which is which? The words are in color accordingly. Morning posts are orange and afternoon posts are green. What kind of cheap Flintstones black and white computer you using these days?
DeleteOh. Yeah. You don't expect me to notice the obvious, do ya???
DeleteNo way, we don't roll like that.
DeleteHmmm... Sad isn't my bag, usually. Life is hard enough, I hate watching a movie or show and borrowing other's woes as well. Might be superficial of me, but it is what it is. Like my entertainment to take me away for a bit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this one won't do that Joe and while the movie doesn't end on the bleakest of notes, it definitely spirals down and is only slightly hopeful for the near future of the characters.
DeleteYea this is sad, but it's a morbidly curious, can't look away sad. n Definitely worth a watch
ReplyDeleteStahhhp, don't embarrass me in front of my friends!! But yes even though it hurt my heart to watch this a little, I couldn't look away as much as I wanted to.
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