It feels like the universe of The Spine of Night just experienced a Big Bang and we are given the privilege to watch it expand in front of our eyes. Grant‘s character tells a story, the film suddenly becomes riveting to watch. For a while, it could feel like walking into a fan club for something you’ve never seen and you’re constantly trying to play catch-up.Įventually, however, when the film gets to a specific part where Richard E. Even though the overarching story does involve an evil man consuming a powerful source of magic called The Bloom and the rest of civilization attempting to stop him, the script itself isn’t always upfront with us on which part of the story we are at. We’re left to just absorb a series of moments, and the context of what’s happening and what’s driving character motivation is very much limited. It doesn’t bother explaining its world-building and rules to us, and the narrative isn’t always clear chronologically. The end result is something I can only describe as “Skyrim on edibles.” The Spine of the Night (2021) – source: SXSWĪt first, the film is a lot to take in. It throws nearly all genre conventions out the window and finds that blurred line where fantasy becomes surreal cosmic horror. And let me be absolutely clear: This movie is ultra-violent, not to mention batshit crazy.Īside from adult animated fantasies from the 80s that clearly inspired this film, there is no other work of animation today like The Spine of Night. From start to finish, you will be constantly aware of the hard work the animators went through to put this ultra-violent fantasy together. The Spine of Night takes that aspect one step further by choosing what is perhaps the most painstaking method in the medium – rotoscope animation. One of my favorite aspects of animated films is that I can always watch one with a clear voice in my head, reminding me that people actually drew it. The Spine of Night (Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King): Crazy, Violent, and A Lot to Take In Here Before premiered at SXSW on March 17, 2021. The film takes a while to get going, but the tension eventually picks up and it’s might just be enough to hold your attention from start to finish. Really, the only thing that drives Here Before forward is this mystery, and once the arguably underwhelming answer is revealed, the film has only about five minutes left to wrap up.Īlong the way, Here Before remains interesting, thanks to Riseborough’s tremendous and vulnerable performance, beautiful cinematography, and some unsettling song choices. With the budget low and the locations fixed, there isn’t much room for subplots or deeper thematic explorations. At the same time, the script is saddled with a simple “Is she or is she not crazy?” question. With a premise this simple, the film does deserve credit and praise for how much suspense writer and director Stacey Gregg was able to get within 83 minutes. Laura ( Riseborough) is still grieving over the death of her daughter, and reality and dreams begin to blur when a new family moves in, whose daughter Megan manages to turn up some uncomfortably accurate memories that only Laura would know about. Here Before is an exercise in stretching out tension and creepiness with a small setting and a simple script. It ain’t SXSW without having psychological mind games in its lineup, and this year we are greeted with one led by Andrea Riseborough, who has held quite the track record for thrillers in the past few years. Here Before (Stacey Gregg): Creepy Direction and Performances Hold Off an Underwritten Plot All three are worth a look for their unique and committed approach to their respective genres. Here Before provides the creeps with an extra layer of grief, The Spine of Night throws fantasy genre conventions out the window by embracing cosmic horror elements, and Broadcast Signal Intrusion tackles a niche but skin-crawling subject matter that is rarely found in movies. You can always count on SXSW to deliver some thrillers that, through their low-budget limits, find a new style or storytelling form to stand out.
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