★★★ Directed by #JoeMarcantonio Written by #JoeMarcantonio #JasonMcColgan Starring #TamaraLawrance #FionaShaw #JackLowden Film Review by Hope Madden It’s incredibly hard to make a film that feels fresh. Hell, it’s hard to get a film greenlit unless you can describe it to potential financers as a cross between something they’ve seen and something else they’ve seen. Most hope of originality is squashed early. Writer/director Joe Marcantonio doesn’t exactly concern himself with originality in his feature debut, Kindred. He hopes a stellar cast and a thick, uneasy atmosphere can make up for some of his film’s predictability. For the most part, that does work. Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance) and her white boyfriend Ben (Edward Holcroft) intend to leave their isolated English village for Australia. Now it’s just telling Mum (Fiona Shaw, as formidable a presence as ever). The first Sunday lunch with Mum and step-brother Thomas (Jack Lowden) effectively conveys all we need to know about the family dynamics, and Marcantonio tidily establishes a sense of dread that will only deepen as the moments pass until the final credits. Charlotte, you see, is pregnant, and when Ben dies suddenly, Mum and Thomas offer hospitality that will quickly turn into an inescapable prison. There are hints early in the film that perhaps Ben is more like his Mum—a bit controlling and manipulative, even if he doesn’t honestly realize it. This sets an intriguing conflict that will obviously balloon once Mum’s in charge. It’s Rosemary’s Baby meets Get Out. See? Two outstanding movies that you may not want to see watered down into a terribly obvious story, but again, a great atmosphere and several fierce performances will pull you through it. Shaw’s turn is a magnificent slice of will and bitterness, but it’s Dunkirk’s Lowden who steals the film. In his hands, Thomas is so eerily sincere that you never know quite what to expect. He’s simultaneously sympathetic, pathetic, and sweetly terrifying. Lawrence works valiantly against a script that frustrates you with its lazy plotting of constant near-escape and recapture. Worse still is the way Marcantonio ignores his underlying themes of racism—something that could have given the old Gothic style fable of bit of new life. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by #AndreOvredal Written by #AndreOvredal Starring #NatWolff #IbenAkerlie Film Review by Hope Madden André Øvredal is a hard filmmaker to pin down. After his 2010 breakout Trollhunter, a giddy found footage flick concerning the impact giant trolls have on his native Norway, the writer/director got far more serious with his 2016 sophomore effort, the excellent horror show The Autopsy of Jane Doe. Then it was all visuals and atmosphere in the more family friendly genre fare Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. And now he abandons any hint of horror, returning to the mythology of his homeland for a superhero tale of sorts, Mortal. Nat Wolff is Eric, a disheveled American in Norway. He keeps to the forests, isolates, but eventually runs afoul of a car full of teenage d-bags—much to the dismay of the marauding teens. Under arrest and awaiting an American convoy, he’s befriended by Christine (Iben Akerlie) the Norwegian therapist asked to speak with him. She’s the first to recognize his burgeoning but uncontrolled powers, although the Americans who are coming for him seem to have some inkling. What Øvredal has done here is to reimagine the superhero origin story. True to its title, Mortal examines a very human character, weighing the guilt, pressure, confusion and fear that come with this territory. Some comic franchises—the X-Men, in particular—ask whether humankind is ready or even worthy of superior beings. Mortal does the same. In fact, it does a lot of the same things you’ve seen in other origin stories and superhero franchises. Its uniqueness may be in the afterthought about how the world would construe the existence of a superhero in terms of religious implications. This is one of the truly interesting thoughts the film injects into the overcrowded genre. It’s not well developed, unfortunately. But there is something akin to swagger in watching this mid-budget action thriller wrangle Norway’s own mythology away from a far showier, exponentially more famous universe. #HopeMadden

★★★ Directed by: Rinoshun Written by: Rinoshun Starring: Rinoshun, Shalmalee, Jerin George Film Review by: Jason Knight Here is a crime thriller, filled with deja vu, criminals, profanity and a man literally talking to himself! A young criminal named Jeff plans to obtain a lot of money and escape his current life and live happily with the girl he loves. After murdering his associates, he takes the bag containing a large amount of drugs and goes to a room, where he contemplates what he is going to do next. From there things take a turn for the bizarre! Another man enters the room and he is Jeff himself! The extraordinary twist makes the viewer wonder whether the fact that there are two identical men is in some way real or just the protagonist's imagination. The majority of the story takes place in that room and using clever camera techniques, the filmmakers make it believable that two identical characters are together in the same room and interacting with each other. And the protagonist's acting also makes it more believable. In some ways, the narrative resembles Reservoir Dogs (1992). A criminal takes shelter in a place, after having done a bad deed and the main focus is what happens in that place. The fact that there is more than one Jeff is a big part of the plot, but the film also explores the kind of person Jeff is, what he wants to accomplish and his relationship with his girlfriend. There are also scenes that occur more than once, with the events taking place differently each time. This storytelling technique might make the audience think of Groundhog Day (1993). The film includes quite a few long takes and there are scenes where the hero looks into the camera and addresses the audience. The feature benefits from an entertaining soundtrack and it is worth mentioning that there is a montage sequence that consists of wonderful drawings. On the downside, the plot is a bit slow-paced and not very exciting. And the performances give the impression that they could had been better. Flaws aside, Recur is a well made piece of work and worthy of attention. #JasonKnight

★★★★ Directed by #ThomasMWright Written by #ErikJensen #ThomasMWright Starring #DanielHenshall #TobyWallace Film Review by Brandon Thomas Movies have always been a grand showcase for the tortured artist. The pain and darkness they use to create have made for some incredible films over the years. What we don’t normally see is how this darkness seeps its way into the lives of the people the artist is closest to. Acute Misfortune offers a bleak look at how the lines between friendship, work and art begin to blur by way of cruelty. Young journalist Erik Jensen (Toby Wallace) is sent by the Sydney Morning Herald to interview acclaimed artist Adam Cullen (Daniel Henshall). Despite Cullen’s intimidating presence, Jensen goes on to write a successful piece. Cullen then offers Jensen the job of being his biographer, which leads to the young journalist staying at the artist’s remote mountain home. As time marches on, Jensen finds himself becoming the target of Cullen’s toxic physical and psychological abuse. There are many biopics I’ve loved over the years; but the truth of the matter is that most of them are fairly similar, and sometimes rather bland. The same cannot be said of Acute Misfortune. More often than not, this film feels more akin to a simmering thriller. Not being well versed in the true story the movie is based on, I half expected this to turn into a cliche slasher movie. The film draws its greatest strength from the tension created. The uncertainty around not only the narrative but Cullen’s actions keeps the audience on the edge of its seat. Director Thomas M. Wright films some scenes in backward motion – a cheap, yet effective, trick that pulls us further into the psychological degradation of our principal leads. It’s a visual gag that adds to the feeling of discomfort surrounding Jensen and Cullen’s relationship. Wright approaches the material very matter-of-factly, neither overly stylish nor pompous in its manner. With its distinct tone, and by shooting in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Acute Misfortune recalls the infamous Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Nowhere near as brutal – nor even really the same genre – but the ever creeping sense of unease was still just as palpable. With its distinct style and adherence to tone, Acute Misfortune is a powerhouse of tension and dread. #BrandonThomas

★★★★ Directed by: Steven Kammerer Written by: Steven Kammerer Starring: Julie Bruns, Hanneke Talbot, John Emmet Tracy, The real life of Ada Lovelace, famous mathematician and one of the first computer programmers, has not been adapted to film very often, aside from one starring Tilda Swinton named Conceiving Ada. This makes this short film more of an interesting beast, being a mini-biopic that does not have the standard studio/TV backing that most biopics have. Yet it manages to be quite good. In 1800’s England, cancer-stricken Ada Lovelace (Julie Bruns) pitches her idea for a computer and asks for funding but is rejected. She attempts to continue work despite these issues, with her servant Mary (Hanneke Talbot) betting on a game to win money to solve the problem. Ada does feel unoriginal in regard to it’s themes. A woman struggling in Victorian times, a scientist who wants to finish their work and someone wanting to make a difference before they die are all stories that have been told countless times. But the presentation is effective enough to where that does not matter, and the short nature means that is able to get straight to the point of the drama. The direction and pacing are both stellar, they engage you in the narrative and the narrative itself is well written too. You care about Ada herself and you care about her plight. Her relationships are also simple yet easy to be invested in. What is most notable about this film is just how bleak the tone is. The entire thing is totally depressing at almost every minute but again, because of the tight pacing it does not become a slog. This is increased/decreased by the ending, which feels abrupt and down, yet also optimistic, though the conflict regarding the game is wrapped up too quickly and vaguely. Overall, the script is strong despite a couple of weaknesses. Performance-wise, Julie Bruns is great in the dramatic scenes. She sells Ada’s desperation and sadness perfectly and Matthew Kevin Anderson does a good job as her husband as well, with a scene they share being the best one. Technically, the cinematography looks a bit cheap (with one moment where it outright goes out of focus) and the opening credits font looks particularly amateur, but these are not large problems. The orchestral score is well composed and moving, the camerawork is decent and the editing is tight yet not too rushed. Ada is a sad yet well done short movie that is effectively dramatic and excellently acted. It is one of the better short films in recent memory as well.

#PressRelease Blue Finch Film Releasing and Magic Monkey Films are excited to announce that they are bringing Christmas cheer to the UK early with 'Lost At Christmas' arriving in cinemas from 4th December - ahead of the film's digital release on the 7th! Directed by BAFTA nominee Ryan Hendrick, the film is based on the acclaimed short film Perfect Strangers and is Scotland's first traditional Christmas movie. Featuring an incredible cast, including, Sylvester McCoy (Dr Who / The Hobbit),  Natalie Clark (The Last Bus), Kenny Boyle, Sanjeev Kohli (Still Game) & Clare Grogan (Gregory's Girl) to name a few.  Lost At Christmas is set in the remote Scottish town of Fort William, on Christmas Eve, when life is turned upside down for Jen (Natalie Clark) and Rob (Kenny Boyle). Suddenly finding themselves heartbroken, single and stranded, they team up to try and reach home 100 miles away to be with their families. "Borrowing" Jen’s now ex-boyfriend’s classic car, the pair hit the road, but it’s not long before the weather turns for the worse forcing them to continue their journey on foot. Bickering and bonding across the snowy Moors of Glencoe, they eventually arrive at a remote inn where they meet other guests dead set on avoiding the traditional Christmas joy. However, as Christmas Day draws closer, will happiness emerge and draw Jen and Rob together? Lost at Christmas will bring you in from the cold, lighten your heart and provide the ultimate feel-good Christmas cinema experience. Director Ryan Hendrick, who is excited to share his latest project with the world, said: “I am beyond thrilled our festive heart warmer is heading out into the world. It was a thrill to make and be surrounded by such a group of talented artists.” Lost at Christmas will be released in UK cinemas from 4th December and on Digital from 7th December

★★★ Directed by #ThomasBezucha Written by #ThomasBezucha #LarryWatson Starring #KevinCostner #DianeLane Film Review by George Wolf It feels like Kevin Costner and Diane Lane have made ten movies together, doesn’t it? They haven’t, but their low key and lived-in chemistry keeps you constantly invested in Let Him Go, a slow burning and effective revenge thriller aimed squarely at the older demos. Costner and Lane are George and Margaret Blackledge, a retired Sheriff and his wife loving their status as grandparents to little Jimmy Blackledge in late 1950s Montana. The simple life turns tragic when their son James (Ryan Bruce) dies in an accident, and complicated when their daughter-in-law Lorna (Kayli Carter) marries the brooding Donnie Weboy (Will Brittain). Donnie’s an abusive husband and stepfather, and without warning, takes Lorna and Jimmy back to his family in North Dakota. George and Margaret decide to track them all down, finding out pretty quickly the Weboy clan don’t appreciate attention from strangers. The flashpoint to this Western Gothic blood feud is matriarch Blanche Weboy, brought to scenery devouring life by the glorious Lesley Manville. Dragging on her cigarettes and demanding obedience, Blanche is quick to show the Blackledges how far she’ll go to keep Lorna and their grandson under her thumb. Writer/director Thomas Bezucha builds the tension well, then uses Manville’s entrance as the natural catalyst for amped intensity. Adapting Larry Watson’s novel, Bezucha carves out the road to vengeance and redemption like a less nuanced Cormac McCarthy. This isn’t poetry, but that doesn’t mean it’s not primal and satisfying. Costner’s in his comfort zone as a weathered country lawman, more invested and touching than he’s been in years. Lane grounds Margaret with a wounded but determined heart, stepping easily into the soul of the film. After a tender kiss, a sixty-something husband telling a fifty-something wife, “Don’t start anything you can’t finish” could seem like a cheesy ad for Viagra. It doesn’t here, and that’s a testament to the authentic bonds of time, grief and love formed by Costner and Lane. Even at nearly two hours, the secondary character development does feel slight, and some thematic possibilities of the Blackledge’s friendship with a young and wayward Native American (Booboo Stewart) are never quite fulfilled. But Let Him Go is here for the adults at the ranch, with a solid American genre yarn full of few surprises, but plenty of bang for your buckaroo. #GeorgeWolf

★★★ Directed by #EricPower Written by #AndreaPetersen Starring #JamesHill #LaurenHill #KatieMaguire Film Review by Cat McAlpine Quick! Where were you in 1994? Were you listening to your Walkman and attending local shows? Maybe you were trying to catch classic films at your movie theatre. Or, could you have been haunting the arcade machine at the local diner? No matter where you were, you probably weren’t protecting your small town from a wave of horrific, mutating demons. Natalie (Katie Maguire), Jeff (Andreas Petersen) and Kevin (Thomas Petersen) suddenly find themselves tasked with just that in Attack of the Demons. The visual style of Attack of the Demons is undoubtably its greatest strength. Editor, cinematographer and director Eric Power defines his unique style with his second paper cut animated film. While comparisons to South Park are easy to make, what Powers does is way beyond that, with much more layered and complicated vignettes. The details are what really help Attack of the Demons pop, from arcade games to shadows. Where low-budget indie horror often struggles, Power excels, thanks to his stylistic choices. Monsters and their grotesque transformations don’t look cheesy because they are done so consistently and well within the film’s aesthetic. With low-budget often comes new talent, and Power’s vision is hampered by weak voice acting and recording quality from a host of new names. But it’s easy to let the cast’s uneasy delivery become a part of Attack of the Demons’ hand-done charm. There are other weaknesses. Written by Andreas Peterson, the film struggles a bit with pacing, in both story and style. The script itself is a bit cheesy, with weak dialogue and a bevy of characters. If anything, though, this little piece of horror is simply subject to the same shortcomings as other bigger-budgeted films in the genre. Overall, Attack of the Demons is fun and unlike anything I’ve quite seen. With grunge bands, arcade games, local diners, and a town carnival, it stands on its own while being an homage to all the nostalgia of horror. If you’re not ready to let spooky season go, Attack of the Demons has a new look for familiar story beats and is sure to scratch your itch. #CatMcAlpine

★★ Directed by: Jamal Hill Written by: Preston A. Whitmore II, Teri Woods (based on the novel by) Starring: Erica Peeples, Andra Fuller, Vivica A. Fox, Jeremy Meeks, Niatia Kirkland, Iyana Halley Film Review by: Darren Tilby Full disclosure: I never had the pleasure of seeing the first True to the Game movie, and so my thoughts here are based entirely on Jamal Hill’s sequel True to the Game 2 and what little I managed to garner from it about the first movie. Picking up a year after the murder of her husband – Quadir – by rival gang leader Jerrell (Andra Fuller), Gena (Erica Peeples) is determined to leave her life in Philly behind her, moving to New York City and reinventing herself as a journalist. But the past has a way of catching up, and soon the drug gangs she thought she had escaped are closing in. At its heart, this is a story of black lives being torn apart by gang violence, and as such, you might expect it to be a profound maybe even empowering experience. Regretfully, the only thing remotely profound or empowering here is that not absolutely everyone in the film is an utterly detestable stereotype—although most are. Much of the film relies on broad stereotypes and genre clichés, as it grinds from one scene to the next; and from one two-dimensional character to another. And there are a lot of characters here, too many. Each with their own branching story going on, many of them, it has to be said, are not particularly well written, and most are never satisfactorily resolved. And while there are many perfectly capable performances, I just can’t accept them as believable people. Quite apart from that, the pacing is off; the soundtrack feels like an afterthought and the plot is quite dull. It’s not bad, but nor is it exciting; there is nothing here that we haven’t seen before, and seen done better. The camera work, however, is really rather splendid. Framing is solid, and how the camera drifts and floats throughout and from scene to scene is skilfully done and pleasing. True to the Game 2 didn’t work for me, on any level whatsoever. I disliked many of the characters, I was disinterested in the story, and I was bored by the predictability of its cliché-ridden writing. Fans of the first film (True to the Game), and perhaps fervid fans of the crime genre itself, may get something out of this, or at least more than I did. But suffice to say, I won’t be climbing the walls in anticipation for a sequel.

★★ Directed by #AlastairOrr Written by #DavidDJones Starring #LieslAhlers #ReineSwart #SeanCameronMichael Film Review by Rachel Willis If you’re looking for a not-so-scary, violent, sort-of funny horror film this post-Halloween, Triggered might be for you. Director Alistair Orr’s (Indigenous) latest effort starts with a violent opening, but quickly shifts focus to nine twentysomethings camping in a remote location in the woods. We learn this is a reunion of friends who were involved in a horrible event back in high school. After a night of partying, the nine wake to find themselves hooked up to bombs, each with a countdown timer. As the friends learn the rules of the “game,” we suddenly find our characters locked in a Hunger Games-type situation. (There’s even a character named Kato.) It’s hard to root for people fighting for their lives when none of them are very likable. It’s also nearly impossible to give the characters more than superficial identifiers (the smart one, the quiet one, the bad boy, etc.) when there are so many involved. However, the filmmakers do a good job of introducing them slowly over the opening scenes so we can better keep track of who’s who. If you don’t remember their names, it doesn’t really matter. They’re pawns in a game, not people to care about. It’s a wise move, limiting the time spent getting to know the characters. It thrusts us more quickly into the “kill or be killed” situation, which is a lot more fun. Some of the film’s jokes land, but most don’t, and it’s hard to build tension when so much of dialogue is a forced attempt at humor. There are a couple of lines that elicit a few good laughs, though. (“That’s the herpes talking!”) If you can ignore some of the weaker moments, you’ll be happier for it. A few of the actors really get into their roles, bringing some entertainment value, but others play their parts without enthusiasm, clarifying an imbalance of talent among the nine. There are few surprises in a movie without much imagination, so don’t expect too much of the revelations as they come – you’ll likely predict most of what’s going to happen before it happens. However, it’s easy to have fun with this movie – as long as you check your expectations at the door. #RachelWillis

Filmmaker Interview by: Jason Knight 1) For those who have not seen it yet, what is Behind the Name SHAKESPEARE: Power, Lust, Scorn & Scandal about? In this film I wanted to answer two questions, “Who created the greatest works of iambic thunder in the English language? And who lived the life described in the works?” Wearing period costumes, I hoped, would help transport the viewers back in time so they could experience this important axiom: “The past is like a foreign country: they do things differently there.” (The Go Between.) This is so often a hindrance to people understanding the nuances surrounding this subject. More than anything, I wanted the film to reveal, and to show visually, the fascinating and eye-opening historical details and surprises that I had discovered in my research. I wanted to encourage viewers to leave the theater wanting to make their own explorations, and also to look at the works of Shakespeare with new interest and even greater affection. 2) What motivated you to do this documentary? In 2016, Roland Emmerich’s film, “Anonymous” captivated my interest in the way it challenged the traditional Shakespeare authorship belief. Stunned by this possibility, I had to find out for myself what was true. What I found in my research was jaw-dropping and I felt compelled to tell this story. Since my background is writing and producing two-person musical stage shows --which several (astute!) reviewers have called “marvelously engaging” -- I decided to put what I had learned about the two authorship candidates into a one-woman stage show with props, costumes and visuals. In my writing/performing career, melding solid research with lively theater has been my specialty. “I didn’t know that!” was always accompanied by “What fun!” Anything but a dull lecture. After two performances in a 65-seat theatre outside Washington, DC, someone from the audience called it, "Scholarship brushed with humor.” Others said, “Sassy and fun” – exactly what I was shooting for. It was so successful I was asked to take it to a Shakespeare conference in Chicago. That would have been a logistical nightmare, so I filmed it! That was the first leg on the road to becoming a real film. 3) What did you find most challenging about the experience? In my basement I filmed the stage show, threw it on a thumb drive, edited it, and presented it in Chicago later that year, and in Oakland, California, the next. The audience loved it, but it wasn’t a real film yet. You see, I had also worked as a print journalist/graphic artist, so this film looked more like a magazine layout on a big screen, interspersed with my narrations. The graphics from Alamy were hauntingly beautiful but static. Years earlier I had had a brief stint as a TV reporter. I knew about “b-roll.” I smacked myself on the forehead. I needed moving images – b-roll! That’s what’s missing! I contacted various online providers and over the next two years, my co-editor and I began layering in moving images and the music. By far the most pleasurable part of transforming the film was adding the music. My co-editor would tease me, “I think you’ve got something going on with that Pond5 guy.” He was referring to my online music, sound-effects, b-roll provider. Each new bit of music we slid into a scene was almost mystical in the way it fit the moving images on the screen. My years as singer/musician, actor/playwright and graphic artist were like gifts now, perfect for this project. I was able to direct every nuance, every bit of timing, every gesture, every image—then sync these with music in each scene. It felt almost magical. As I continued researching, I would make exciting new discoveries that I had to include. I restructured the film at least five times, filming, editing, ten-hour days, week after week, and just two of us transformed that little stage-show into my first award-winning feature film. My vision was to create a definitive telling of the story of the two authorship candidates, by showing the stunning contrasts between their lives. Clever, contrasting “ages boxes” float through the documentary, giving the viewer a new, common sense understanding of the two candidates’ relationship to the events of the day, and to the Queen --in a way they may never have imagined before. 4) What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers? Never give up. Use all of your experiences and talents. Writers always use their experiences in their work. Think of Agatha Christie – when her archeologist husband moved to Baghdad and Luxor, her stories moved from Devon and St. Mary’s Mead to the deserts of the Mid-East. When I wrote a two-act, two-hour musical play about Agatha Christie, I used the conflicts in her life that reflected my own struggles – a competitive sister, a controlling, remote husband, an indifferent child. I focused on these and my own experiences resonated on stage as I spoke my lines. Every writer does it. Every filmmaker. When Gaugin moved to the South Pacific, and Van Gogh moved to the South of France, they painted what they saw, what was in their lives. When their surroundings changed, their paintings exploded into something more wonderful than before. On film, use what you know, use what you love. As a filmmaker, remember that every failure you’ve ever had is really a goldmine – because you can put what you learned in the screen. Actress Liv Ullman, used to say that as she was going through agonizing life’s experiences, there was the actor’s voice in her head saying, “I can use this in the film.” Use it. Use every life’s experience that has made you who you are. Good and bad. Now a filmmaker, you are an observer of life. And if you put that on the screen, it will be authentic and wonderful. 5) What are your plans for the future? I want to continue to create meticulously-researched but engaging documentaries. Films that are welcoming, that bring a lively perspective to subjects formerly considered deadly dull. Right now, we’re working on putting the mountain of outtakes we have into something coherent, perhaps creating a series of short films. I may be immersed in the Shakespeare authorship question for a while. We have so much material. After that, I would want to continue to explore more of the Elizabethan era and with English history. 6) Is there anyone you would particularly like to work with? We have been working in a vacuum for so long, I haven’t thought of it. After working together for four years, my co-editor Art Harman and I have developed a language that doesn’t require words. Well-versed in the language of film, he is a technical wizard who can do anything and everything on screen that I request or require. He has a math gene; I do not. His technical skills mesh well with my artistic ones, along with my experience as a musician, actor, playwright, writer. The two of us have worked together so efficiently, every week, for the last four years -- it’s been a wonderful, deeply satisfying experience. Any work of art is a collaboration. Any film, too. I would love to collaborate with anyone who appears on my doorstep, but with the pandemic limiting our lives at every turn these days, that may not happen for a while. #JasonKnight

★★★★ Written and Directed by: #JarandHerdal Starring: #GitteWitt, #ThomasGullestad & #ThorbjornHarr Film Review by Connor Slatkoff Sharpe Let’s face it, 2020 just hasn’t been our year. From Australian wildfires to political unrest—not to mention the global pandemic which is quickly approaching its one-year mark—things just haven’t been looking up. However, as the latest Netflix original film Cadaver shows us, it could always be a whole lot worse. Set in a post-nuclear-fallout world, Jarand Herdal’s horror-thriller follows a family of three as they attempt to survive in the battered remains of a small Norwegian town. While the townsfolk around them have resorted to savagery and theft, this family still clings to the hope that charity and kindness will rescue them from their hardships. This charity comes in the form of an invitation to attend a night of theatre at the local—and once luxurious—hotel: a grand, looming building, reminiscent of the “Overlook Hotel” in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shinning. Not only does this invitation present a moment’s release from this family’s cruel reality, it also offers the chance at a hot meal, something which the trio—despite their justified suspicion—simply cannot pass up. However, upon their arrival at the hotel, and speedy quaffing of any food on offer, it soon becomes clear to all those gathered that they aren’t so much audience members, but key players in the theatrics to follow. Theatrics which blur the line between performance and reality, as our spectators soon find themselves cast in the role of the hunted. Overall, Cadaver is a sleek, well executed—albeit largely predictable—addition to the Netflix horror canon, and what it may lack in narrative surprise, it more than makes up for in style. The cataclysmic world of the film is beautifully realized, with effective contrast between the fallout slums of the town, and the decadent halls of the hotel. Overhead drone shots paint the town as a sort-of Scandinavian I am Legend, with collapsing debris signifying what was once an attractive city-skyline. On the other hand, these vast, open and largely abandoned buildings are sharply contrasted by the velvet-lined halls of the ominous hotel, with crimson curtains running like arteries along its stone foundations. This use of crimson is constantly employed throughout the short 90-minute run-time to convey a sinister significance to objects and surroundings in the hotel. Flashes of red become more and more frequent, until eventually whole environments appear bathed in scarlet. This, paired with the cold color-palate used for nearly everything in the film that isn’t blood-red, lends frightening weight to these splashes of pigment. Herdal’s direction is incredibly strong, with his expert use of cold-color palate, inventive cinematography and partial dystopian setting giving clear aesthetic to the world of Cadaver. In many ways, this Netflix original feels similar to another one of their science-fiction foreign language productions: the German language series Dark. This similar style, paired with subtle, but effective filmmaking flare—from a gently spinning camera to a heart-pounding rack-focus—give this film more depth than your average horror-flick. The performances in the film reflect this heightened artistic style, with both grounded and truthful portrayals of the family’s two parents Jacob (Thomas Gullestad) and Leonora (Gitte Witt), and operatically sinister performances from the workers at the hotel. However, all of the stellar execution from the majority of the cast nevertheless pales in comparison to the sweeping, varied, powerhouse performance from Thorbjørn Harr (Vikings, Togo) in the role of Mathias, the hotel manager and director of the evening’s theatrics. Audiences will find themselves drawn to this towering, classical performance, maybe even questioning the ethics of the man’s actions come the film’s somber finale. These strong performances are backed-up by largely believable character choices and smart writing, something which is not normally present in most horror movies. There is no “I’ll go this way down the abandoned, bloodstained hallway, you go that way”, no forced splitting up of characters or unfortunately-timed sex scenes which lead to untimely death. The characters in Cadaver behave in a way that audiences can relate to, maybe even seeing how they themselves would react in a similar situation. Because of this, the ensuing horror and tragedy hits harder, an inescapable fate instead of a series of stupid decisions that moves the narrative forward. While Cadaver may have taken an original idea and molded it to fit common, often predictable horror film tropes (see the first Purge movie for the most blatant example of this), it nevertheless delivers on its promise of gothic style, beautifully shot body-horror, and resoundingly powerful performances. All of these things considered, Cadaver is well worth the short watch for its style alone, and perhaps also to remind us that our world could always be worse. #ConnorSlatkoffSharpe