Harrowing and traumatic.
My cousin told me about this movie many years ago. I never forgot how disturbing she told me it was. Now that I’ve finally seen it, I understand. With the subject matter, I was wary of how this would turn out. Granted, I am still just a man, so I can only speak from a place of admitted ignorance here. However, I will say I am confident there are hundreds of other versions of this movie which could have existed and all of them would be terrible. This is not the case here.
From the beginning, I was most critical of the camera. Given the entire movie is based around rape, and it being a lesser-known horror film, I was expecting distasteful exploitation. The movie introduces its ubiquitous canted angles almost from the beginning to let us know something is wrong. To my surprise, and continued surprise at that, the finesse of the camera works to be very effective while not being self-indulgent. I recall a single shot that stood out to my mind as superfluous. Because the skill of the camera is consistently high, I feel I must give accolades to the cinematographer, Stephen Burum. The angles are not the only thing the camera does. We also get quite a few interesting close-ups as well as several split diopter shots. Each character’s presence and role in Carla’s life are emphasized.
The beginning scenes of assault are graphic but not gratuitous. We often see Carla through close-ups during these which create a strong empathic link. These scenes are effectively traumatic. Barbara Hershey brings a memorable performance. I felt for her character throughout the entire film. By the time the camera zooms out on some of the assaults, we’ve clearly passed into the grounds of the supernatural. These moments utilize practical effects to make us cringe and invoke feelings akin to what I feel when watching The Exorcist.
Initially I was mixed on the prominence of the parapsychologists’ eventual involvement. With further consideration, they’re simply just another manifestation of individuals pursuing Barbara in their own selfish way. That’s what I think the greatest strength is of this film. How traumatic can it be to not be heard, especially with an issue like this? And really, it doesn’t feel like any character ever really listens to Carla no matter how much they say they care. Everyone is basically telling Barbara they know better. But who can know better than the actual woman experiencing all of this?
The ending really left me cold (in a good way). It broke a barrier I wasn’t expecting and sort of just leaves you with this nihilistic shock.
Harrowing and traumatic.
My cousin told me about this movie many years ago. I never forgot how disturbing she told me it was. Now that I’ve finally seen it, I understand. With the subject matter, I was wary of how this would turn out. Granted, I am still just a man, so I can only speak from a place of admitted ignorance here. However, I will say I am confident there are hundreds of other versions of this movie which could have existed and all of them would be terrible. This is not the case here.
From the beginning, I was most critical of the camera. Given the entire movie is based around rape, and it being a lesser-known horror film, I was expecting distasteful exploitation. The movie introduces its ubiquitous canted angles almost from the beginning to let us know something is wrong. To my surprise, and continued surprise at that, the finesse of the camera works to be very effective while not being self-indulgent. I recall a single shot that stood out to my mind as superfluous. Because the skill of the camera is consistently high, I feel I must give accolades to the cinematographer, Stephen Burum. The angles are not the only thing the camera does. We also get quite a few interesting close-ups as well as several split diopter shots. Each character’s presence and role in Carla’s life are emphasized.
The beginning scenes of assault are graphic but not gratuitous. We often see Carla through close-ups during these which create a strong empathic link. These scenes are effectively traumatic. Barbara Hershey brings a memorable performance. I felt for her character throughout the entire film. By the time the camera zooms out on some of the assaults, we’ve clearly passed into the grounds of the supernatural. These moments utilize practical effects to make us cringe and invoke feelings akin to what I feel when watching The Exorcist.
Initially I was mixed on the prominence of the parapsychologists’ eventual involvement. With further consideration, they’re simply just another manifestation of individuals pursuing Barbara in their own selfish way. That’s what I think the greatest strength is of this film. How traumatic can it be to not be heard, especially with an issue like this? And really, it doesn’t feel like any character ever really listens to Carla no matter how much they say they care. Everyone is basically telling Barbara they know better. But who can know better than the actual woman experiencing all of this?
The ending really left me cold (in a good way). It broke a barrier I wasn’t expecting and sort of just leaves you with this nihilistic shock.
