• A film of punishing brutality – any time you leave the theater and start typing “Lars von Trier meets Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left”- you’ve seen something black. Haha.
  • I couldn’t find a grab of it- I’m sure I will as the film spends some time out there more readily available at home- but there’s a very nice reoccurring shot of the moon partially blocked by a tree at night in. Kent goes to it often in transitions- a nice formal touch. At the end with get the juxtaposition with the sunrise scene
  • Heavy use of close-ups like Demme or Barry Jenkins
Heavy use of close-ups like Demme or Barry Jenkins even if it’s not quite on that level artistically on in volume
Aisling Franciosi gives a strong performance- a complex and abused Clare
  • Kent’s debut was 2014’s The Babadook and this is an equally strong sophomore effort- she’s gone from horror genre to a truly horrifying (this is a dark one- tough hang) period film without supernatural elements (though we have some surrealism nightmares) or traditional horror genre tropes
  • In some ways a straight revenge film- whether it’s The Searchers, Kill Bill, Old Boy, Death Wish or Outlaw Josey Wales– a horrific scene where Aisling Franciosi (playing Clare) has her family taken away—awful—Sam Clafin plays one of one of the ugliest villains I can recollect – He’s a sadistic imperialist soldier stuck where he doesn’t want to be (sounds like Lucrecia Martel’s Zama without the sadistic streak)
Sam Clafin plays one of one of the ugliest villains I can recollect – He’s a sadistic imperialist soldier
  • Franciosi’s Clare and Kaykali Ganambarr’s “Billy” are rich characters—finding a friendship (essentially through an apocalyptic Cormac McCarthy “The Road”- like journey together) and as mutual victim’s (she’s a woman and irish, billy is black) of Clafin, England
  • On her journey we get some surrealism scenes that come again and again
  • Recommend but not top 10 of 2018