Cinepocalypse 2017: Animals

The title is reasonably honest, since there is at least one cat and several sheep in this film. However, the talking cat will incite murderous thoughts, while the sheep need better shepherds because at least one or possible two of them will be mowed down by speeding cars. Or something like that. Reality is a slippery eel to nail down in Greg Zglinski’s Animals (trailer here), which screens tonight during Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.

Anna and Nick are quite the power couple (he is a celebrity chef, she is a children’s book author), but their marriage is still on the rocks. They have planned a sixth month retreat in the Swiss countryside, but it gets off to a rocky start when Anna discovers their flat-sitter Mischa is the spitting image of Andrea, the upstairs neighbor she suspects Nick has been conducting an affair with, which indeed he has. Things really start getting strange after Anna bangs her head in a supposedly minor auto accident (admittedly, the sheep gets the worst of it, by any standard of measurement). Her dreams seem to flow into Nicks, and vice versa.

As Anna convalesces in their cabin, she starts to experience lost time and feelings of paranoia. Yes, the cat also communicates with her, telepathically. What really makes her suspicious is the local ice cream shop woman’s resemblance to Andrea and Mischa. At this point, the film really starts playing games with our perception of on-screen reality.

One of the reasons Animals is so effective is that Zglinski takes the time to establish his characters and their circumstances before lighting off on a Lynchian bender. In fact, when he finally starts pulling the carpet out from under us, it is especially shocking because of the rhythms he allows Nick and Anna to settle into. Yet, the film soon becomes thoroughly disorienting, because we are never given signals as to whose reality we should trust.

Animals is darkly surreal, but it also has a healthily mordant sense of humor. Sadly, it makes you wonder what might have been, had Austrian filmmaker Jörg Kalt not committed suicide after completing the first draft of the screenplay in 2007, shortly after wrapping the little-seen (at least in North America) Crash Test Dummies. In the intervening time, Zglinski polished the script to a high gloss and executed it with remarkable fluidity. Indeed, his big mind-twists unfold unusually smoothly. Yet, for those in the know, the film’s several references to suicide are coldly jarring.

Birgit Minichmayr falls to pieces pretty spectacularly as Anna, while Mona Petri’s Mischa and Andrea are quite the emotional basket cases. As the relatively stable Nick, Philipp Hochmair really anchors the film and helps set-up the craziness of his co-stars.

Granted, Animals never really comes together at the end, but these sorts of films rarely do. To Zglinski and Kalt’s credit, it also happens to be smarter and more stylish than its mind-bending fellow lost highway travelers. Highly recommended, Animals screens this afternoon (11/9), as part of this year’s Cinepocalypse.

Cinepocalypse 2017: The Crescent

If anyone ever compiles a coffee table book of great horror movie architecture and design, this retro-postmodern-Bauhausian beach house should definitely be included, along with the modernist cabin from Rift and the classic Bauhaus sets of Edward G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat. It looks striking yet livable, but it comes with some rather undesirable neighbors in Seth A. Smith’s The Crescent (trailer here), which screens tonight during Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.

Ever since her husband was lost in an accident, Beth has shunned the company of everyone but her toddler son Lowen. That even includes her own mother, but she will borrow her beach house (perched on a crescent-shaped cove) to retreat from the world with Lowen and her grief. The two or three-year-old still lacks a meaningful comprehension of death. He just continues to wander off and be a general handful, as toddlers will. However, their creepy nearest neighbor seems to have an inappropriate interest in them both (thanks for the babysitting offer, but that’s not happening). He is probably one of the ones eight or nine-year-old Sam is talking about, when she offers Beth a cryptic warning about the locals.

Crescent is exactly the sort of film the beyond-insulting term “post-horror” was coined to describe. It is definitely a slow-burner with some unambiguously metaphysical concerns, but it also has its scary moments. For instance, the funky beach house has one of the most unsettling doorbells you will ever hear—and it is prone to ring at the middle of the night.

Arguably, it is the unnerving sound design that makes the film so potent. Once you lock into its wave length, it is impossible to relax and just coast through it. Smith also dexterously uses the lonesome remoteness of the setting to build the tension. However, he drives the point into ground with an overly long denouement following the big revelation.

Rather remarkably, young Woodrow Graves, Smith’s real-life son, probably has more screen time than anyone as Lowen. In fact, some press write-ups credit him as the central lead, which is probably news to Danika Vandersteen’s agent. As Beth, she is certainly convincingly bereft and increasingly unstable. Plus, she and Graves really do look and act like mother and son. Perhaps even more impressive is the poised work of Britt Loder as Sam, who is arguably the most proactive character in the film. Lest we forget this is a horror movie, it should also be stipulated Terrence Murray is all kinds of creepy as the too-friendly neighbor.

In a rather uncommon bit of character detail, Beth practices marbling, allowing Smith to incorporate some dramatic visuals. The overall vibe of The Crescent is also genuinely unique. In many ways, it is what Aronofsky’s Mother! should have been, but wasn’t. Even though Smith draws things out too long, it is still an eerie film with post-viewing staying power. Highly recommended for fans of surreal and allegorical horror, The Crescent screens again this afternoon (11/7), as part of this year’s Cinepocalypse.

Cinepocalypse 2017: Snowflake

In near future Germany, immigrants and neo-Nazis openly clash on the streets and emergency services never venture into certain neighborhoods. A robot also plays a minor role, if you were wondering what made it near-futuristic. Murder might be a common occurrence, but not for Eliana. She will deal with some pretty unsavory people for the sake of revenge in Adolfo Kolmerer & William James’ Snowflake (trailer here), which screens tonight during Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.

Javid and Tan shot up the kabab shop where Eliana’s late parents were eating, because they are violent knuckleheads. They deserve some harsh payback, even though they are products of their savage environment. They too seek revenge for the deaths of their families, which they blame on a former security minister turned outlaw paramilitary leader—not without some justification. With the help of her family’s former bodyguard Carson, Eliana will hire some of Europe’s vilest assassins to cap Javid and Tan.

There will be considerable collateral damage, which nobody knows better than Arend Remmers, the screenwriting dentist. Every violent scene he writes comes true. When Javid and Tan find an incomplete early draft, they pay him a little visit hoping to strong arm a better ending out of him, but it is hard to get around certain principles of screenwriting.

Arend Remmers, the real life screenwriter, deserves credit for re-invigorating the Don Quixote/Pirandello-esque conceit of characters acknowledging and responding to the supposedly fictional works in which they appear. In Remmers’ screenplay[s], it is presented in a fittingly surreal and post-modern fashion, but it is never belabored, because there is additional pressing mayhem going on simultaneously, particularly that involving the film’s wildcards, Hyper Electro Man, the costumed vigilante, and Snowflake, Javid and Tan’s supposed guardian angel.

Snowflake is an espresso-charged, pedal-to-the-metal revenge thriller, with a heck of a lot of moving parts, but it still features some downright shockingly memorable performances. Xenia Assenza and David Masterson are terrific together as Eliana and Carson, in what might be the best bodyguard-client movie relationship since Sammo Hung’s The Bodyguard (which could be the best ever).

Adrian Topol also bears watching as Bolek, who turns out to be a surprisingly compassionate cannibalistic Polish hitman (look, you have to make allowances in the future). Alexander Schubert earns some big laughs as Remmers, the on-screen sad sack screenwriter, but neither Reza Brojerdi or Erkan Acar manage to appreciably humanize Javid and Tan, despite the film’s efforts on their behalf. However, the insanity really skyrockets when crafty veteran David Gant appears as Caleb, Carson’s apocalyptic cult-leader father Caleb.

Genre fans will be relieved to know Snowflake’s metaness never gets in the way of the violence. For a dystopia, Adolfo Kolmerer & William James’ Berlin looks a heck of a lot like our world, but it is still an unusually dark vision of the future. Yet, somehow, they also make it wildly entertaining. Highly recommended for fans of cult cinema, Snowflake screens tonight (11/5), as part of this year’s Cinepocalypse.

Cinepocalypse 2017: Hagazussa—A Heathen’s Curse

Alas, poor Albrun is the original lonely goatherd. You would think superstitious villagers would try not to antagonize a suspected witch. However, this is the 15^th Century Austrian Alps, so in addition to their paranoia, they also have a slightly volky intolerant thing going on. They will harass and ostracize Albrun and her mother, but matters will end badly for everyone in Lukas Feigelfeld’s Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse (trailer here), which screens tonight as part of Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.

If Albrun’s mother really had evil powers, presumably she wouldn’t let the villagers get away with their loutish behavior. Instead of casting spells, she seems to suffer from them. Unfortunately, she will soon be leaving Albrun behind in the cold hard world. Ten or so years later, Albrun is similarly raising an infant daughter on her own. We could assume it is the product of an assault, but Hagazussa is not a talky film, making backstory difficult to glean.

Albrun’s life briefly brightens when one of the village women appears to befriend her, but her motives are actually quite sinister. That makes Albrun angry and quite possibly tears the last fibers holding her sanity in place. This is the sort of film that garners a lot of attention for its technical artistry, but Aleksandra Cwen is quite remarkable as grown Albrun. Watching her psyche splinter into pieces is a ferocious viewing experience.

Shot in arresting Gustave Doré-like black-and-white by cinematographer Mariel Baqueiro, Hagazussa is a hushed spectacle of mud, rain, and rotting carcasses. You can practically smell the decay and corruption wafting off the screen. However, Feigelfeld’s pacing is slow even by the standards of slow-burners. Narrative is a low priority for this film. It is more about immersing viewers in this world of dread. Towards that end, the eerie sound work of foley artist Peter Roigk and the almost subliminal score of Greek chamber trio Mohammad really get under viewers’ skin, possibly unnerving us more than the macabre imagery.

Everyone and their black goats are comparing Hagazussa to Robert Eggers’ The Witch, for obvious reasons, but it also arguably shares a kinship with Haneke’s The White Ribbon. Feigelfeld is not merely inviting the audience to witness a case of isolated madness. He is giving us a peak into Teutonic original sin. This is a demanding film that really ought to go further over the top during the climax, but you have to give credit to Feigelfeld for realizing such a singular vision. Recommended for fully fortified fans of avant-garde horror in the Häxan tradition, Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse screens tonight (11/4), as part of this year’s Cinepocalypse.

Cinepocalypse 2017: Charismata

Are two murders sufficient to classify the suspect a serial killer, or is a third killing required? Unfortunately, while Detective-Inspectors Rebecca Faraway and Eli Smith argue the point, it will be rendered moot by their quarry. She will still have plenty to bicker over with her smug partner and the rest of the chauvinistic task force. However, Faraway will have even greater concerns when their chief suspect takes a sinister interest in her during the course of Andy Collier & Toor Mian’s Charismata (trailer here), which screens tonight as part of Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.

These are ritualistic killings with the emphasis on the “ick.” There are pools of blood, satanic markings, and missing body parts. It is never the same body parts removed, but it still safe to call it part of a consistent M.O. It turns out there are other linkages. Two of the bodies were discovered in empty properties awaiting gentrification that were guarded by the same bargain basement security firm and owned by the same up-scale development firm.

Thanks to good police work, Faraway tenuously links Michael Sweet, the firm’s hotshot, youngest-ever partner to the third victim, but he is cool as ice when they bring him in for questioning. In fact, he is clearly much more interested in her than his status as a potential suspect. Soon thereafter, she starts having dreams and hallucinations, featuring Sweet in the starring role. She already has a history of personal problems and instability, so her increased freaky behavior just further alienates her from her colleagues. Of course, that makes her obsess over Sweet even more.

Charismata is a nimble and atmospheric fusion of police procedurals and demonic horror, sort of like Prime Suspect crossed with the better Exorcist sequels. Frankly, the cop stuff works surprisingly well. As Faraway and Smith, Sarah Beck Mather and Andonis Anthony really do not seem to like each other at all, so “chemistry” is not really the right term, but they are terrific playing off each other. David J. Peel and Ethan Chapples add some blunt-spoken comic relief as their knuckleheaded DS and DC, without getting shticky or slapsticky, while Jamie Satterthwaite shamelessly preens and chews the scenery, as befits a cocky as Hell horror movie villain.

Charismata starts modestly, but it raises the tension and the stakes steadily and at an impressively speedy clip. Yet, despite some mostly presentable special effects, this is really a character-driven horror movie. Collier and Mian masterfully control the mood and get some great work out of their ensemble. They also receive a key assist from cinematographer Fernando Ruiz, who makes it all look mysterious and foreboding. Highly recommended for genre fans, Charismata screens tonight (11/4), as part of this year’s Cinepocalypse.

Cinepocalypse ’17: Curtain-Raiser

Where can you experience the terrors of vintage 1980s video games from Hell, subterranean warfare during WWI, and dirt-biking in the mountains of Brazil? This year’s Cinepocalypse, which will screen at least three of the year’s most distinctive genre releases, Graham Skipper’s Sequence Break, Leo Scherman’s Trench 11, and Vicente Amorim’s Motorrad. Plus, you will also find Mickey Keating’s nightmarish rebound film, Psychopaths.

But wait, there’s more. Mr. Eric Roberts and his super-human work ethic will make two special appearances at the festival, including a screening of Larry Cohen’s The Ambulance and a live recording of the podcast Eric Roberts is the Fucking Man. In the time it’s taken you to read this far, he’s already made another three movies, so show some respect.

We’re looking forward to covering the festival. We’re particularly psyched to have a chance to catch up with Andy Collier & Toor Mian’s Charismata (with Collier scheduled to attend), Lukas Feigelfeld’s Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse, Jimmy Henderson’s Jailbreak, Adolfo Kolmerer & William James’ Snowflake (with the filmmakers scheduled to attend), and Seth A. Smith The Crescent, so keep an eye out for that coverage.

This year’s Cinepocalypse runs from Thursday to Thursday (11/2-11/9) at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. Check out their website here for films descriptions and schedules.