Huh. Well OK then.
For some reason, I follow Amanda the Jedi on here (probably cause I watched a few of her videos and thought they were fun), and saw her log this in as part of 2023’s Sundance. Her only words were “just feels mean?” and that half-sentence got me curious enough to put this on my watchlist. How mean we talkin? Is it effective? Earned? Will I feel a memorable shock and awe that just devastates me? Ruined to my goddamn core forever, shivering and whimpering and twitching on the floor, preventing me from ever seeing a horror movie again!? So thank you Amanda for this “recommendation.”
Flash forward to tonight where I’m feeling bitter and angry towards so many people, and the only cure is to watch something just as miserable as I am, and this came back to the front of my mind. I’m already thinking about Pan’s Labyrinth with the nihilistic fairy tale in a WWll setting, and if this is even darker and more depressing, why the hell not? It’s wartime, everything sucks anyways, so I guess introducing a fairy that really just wants to fuck with you is understandable.
And yeah, “mean” is certainly ONE word to describe all this as. I think Kenneth Dagatan kinda relishes the agony he puts his characters through as both writer and director, but I really wish there was more of an impact with that slow buildup. As someone who doesn’t know much about the Phillipines’ involvement in WWII, besides clearly being a spot for the Japanese to take control of (we truly are the most hated Asians by other Asians), the world building is not very good at helping us understand why this backdrop is significant to this particular tale.
If anything, it feels born out of a need to have the father somehow be away from the house for most of the movie. The first 15 minutes is where most of the historical context is provided, but once the dad leaves, any importance of that to the actual story is thrown out the window. There’s a subplot involving two characters searching for a stack of Japanese gold around the house that certainly adds its own conflict, but then you realize they’re there as unfortunate horror movie victims, nothing more. So yeah, very disappointed to see the setting and the story become oil and water, with no attempt at having them coalesce nicely.
I can’t say I was scared, but I was unsettled a couple times which I think is more Dagatan’s aim here. He’s not above showing some messed up imagery involving his child actors, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as the fairy is haunting in design, the way she carries herself, and that creepy-ass smile. She’s angelic and ethereal in the most off-putting way, all for the better.
That said, I can’t help but wonder how much more effective all this would be if we spent more time with these characters instead of trying to sustain slow tension, if the setting felt more fleshed out and complimentary to the narrative, if the intention was to just flat-out scare and not be coy with the mounting dread.
I mean shit, the most fucked up and scariest moment in the movie is a brief interaction between Tala (our main girl) and the maid Amor, in what I thought would be a morsel of tenderness but becomes something else entirely. And guess what, Amor’s the most well-developed character in the script! See how that pays off Kenneth?
All in all, decent film with a bit of lost potential. I very much appreciate this dude’s sadism, but sadism in film requires lots of setups and payoffs like anything. That, to me, is what emphasizes the level of cruelty to get a truly guttural reaction. Dagatan’s not there on that part yet (another writer besides yourself is sometimes all you need), but I’m curious all the same what this guy’s next project will be. There’s a lotta talent on display here, so I say go support it on Prime if you enjoy stuff like this, cause I think a bigger canvas can help the next time around.
Huh. Well OK then.
For some reason, I follow Amanda the Jedi on here (probably cause I watched a few of her videos and thought they were fun), and saw her log this in as part of 2023’s Sundance. Her only words were “just feels mean?” and that half-sentence got me curious enough to put this on my watchlist. How mean we talkin? Is it effective? Earned? Will I feel a memorable shock and awe that just devastates me? Ruined to my goddamn core forever, shivering and whimpering and twitching on the floor, preventing me from ever seeing a horror movie again!? So thank you Amanda for this “recommendation.”
Flash forward to tonight where I’m feeling bitter and angry towards so many people, and the only cure is to watch something just as miserable as I am, and this came back to the front of my mind. I’m already thinking about Pan’s Labyrinth with the nihilistic fairy tale in a WWll setting, and if this is even darker and more depressing, why the hell not? It’s wartime, everything sucks anyways, so I guess introducing a fairy that really just wants to fuck with you is understandable.
And yeah, “mean” is certainly ONE word to describe all this as. I think Kenneth Dagatan kinda relishes the agony he puts his characters through as both writer and director, but I really wish there was more of an impact with that slow buildup. As someone who doesn’t know much about the Phillipines’ involvement in WWII, besides clearly being a spot for the Japanese to take control of (we truly are the most hated Asians by other Asians), the world building is not very good at helping us understand why this backdrop is significant to this particular tale.
If anything, it feels born out of a need to have the father somehow be away from the house for most of the movie. The first 15 minutes is where most of the historical context is provided, but once the dad leaves, any importance of that to the actual story is thrown out the window. There’s a subplot involving two characters searching for a stack of Japanese gold around the house that certainly adds its own conflict, but then you realize they’re there as unfortunate horror movie victims, nothing more. So yeah, very disappointed to see the setting and the story become oil and water, with no attempt at having them coalesce nicely.
I can’t say I was scared, but I was unsettled a couple times which I think is more Dagatan’s aim here. He’s not above showing some messed up imagery involving his child actors, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as the fairy is haunting in design, the way she carries herself, and that creepy-ass smile. She’s angelic and ethereal in the most off-putting way, all for the better.
That said, I can’t help but wonder how much more effective all this would be if we spent more time with these characters instead of trying to sustain slow tension, if the setting felt more fleshed out and complimentary to the narrative, if the intention was to just flat-out scare and not be coy with the mounting dread.
I mean shit, the most fucked up and scariest moment in the movie is a brief interaction between Tala (our main girl) and the maid Amor, in what I thought would be a morsel of tenderness but becomes something else entirely. And guess what, Amor’s the most well-developed character in the script! See how that pays off Kenneth?
All in all, decent film with a bit of lost potential. I very much appreciate this dude’s sadism, but sadism in film requires lots of setups and payoffs like anything. That, to me, is what emphasizes the level of cruelty to get a truly guttural reaction. Dagatan’s not there on that part yet (another writer besides yourself is sometimes all you need), but I’m curious all the same what this guy’s next project will be. There’s a lotta talent on display here, so I say go support it on Prime if you enjoy stuff like this, cause I think a bigger canvas can help the next time around.
