Review By: Rob Sibley
So remember the sequence in Henry: Portrait of a serial killer, they steal a camera and decide to film the their exploits? Imagine an entire film like that. The director once mentioned 8MM the highly underrated gem of a film as an influence. He was interested in the girl in the footage in that film. He was interested in her story. So Shane set out along with Michiko Jimenez to make this film. This film is horrifying, disturbing and disgusting. But it does it all without resorting to gore gags and this certainly IS NOT a torture porn film. This is a sick slice of life. A glimpse into true evil, more troubling then a serial killer in a hockey mask.
It's interesting when you watch a filmmaker mature over a period of about two months. Shane Ryan is currently the most exciting independent filmmaker's around. First the history, I befriended Shane when he was looking for people to review this film. It was impossible to find at the time and I was curious and looking for films that pushed boundaries. I contacted him and he was more then happy to send me a screener of this film.
But without even realizing it, I had seen this film years ago. Actually watched APSK 1 and 3 many moons ago but I was playing it in the background and didn't pay much attention to it. This was about 6 years before I started reviewing films. So I was rather ignorant at the time. I scoffed back in the day when I saw the cover art and even remember saying "Seriously? You got to be fucking kidding me." I pulled the whole stupid "judging a book by it's cover". So eight years pass. By now, I'm established enough and mature enough that I can appreciate the film and what kind of tale Ryan & Michiko was trying to tell.
Unlike some, I am happy and willing to admit I'm friends with Shane and he's even cast in my upcoming feature films. But this is in no-way a biased review. Biased reviews are for bullshit sites and bloggers who want to kiss some ass. I will say straight up, this isn't a happy film. There is no hope to be found in this picture. The only comforting aspects is the amazing hypnotic score by Boneshin & Daniel A. Scott. Which sounds like guitar riffs reminiscent of Kitaro, Portishead and Sonic Youth. It adds almost a peaceful trance like quality to the picture.
The film itself tells of the tale of a highly disturbed young man named Brand. Highly disturbed is putting it lightly. Brandon seems like your typical 18 year old, except for his dark secret. He's a monster, he's the personification of pure evil. Brandon being a rather charming individual who takes women to his apartment, films them and murders them. You won't find any silver linings in this playbook of a movie.
Unfairly this film has been trashed as just pretentious non-sense that was poorly filmed. This isn't the case at all. Right now I could call out a dozen films that fit that category this film isn't one of them. It's powerful and way a head of it's time. The film mimics 8MM film way before it became popular with Rodriguez and every other filmmaker trying to go all "grindhouse".
It does this for a purpose, it's not an exploitation film, it's not horror film. Best way to describe the film is a 71 minute art movie that has a lot going on under the surface. You don't watch this film for the enjoyment, personally it's a film I view best on a psychological level.
The film is very prophetic of things to come since fake snuff is all the rage right now. It's troubling to think how popular films are now when it's nothing but killing for the sake of killing. That's fine those kind of films have there own place. But it's scary and startling because these days it's not hard to find fake snuff, and even adult films have become more "hardcore".
This is a film that has zero gore in it and it's like I said a tough watch. You know things are going to go very bad when Brandon picks up Stacey on a late night drive. They talk for a while, Brandon talks about everything from movies to Dolph Lundgren to actors heights. Leading this poor soul (Stacey) into feeling a false sense of security. Eventually Brandon convinces her to take off her clothes, this is like a casting couch gone horribly wrong.
I was literately sick to my stomach when I was done watching the film. Not because of the violence which is effective even though you don't see a drop of blood. It's basically two people in a room, at times it comes across as a very twisted stage play. This film have no problems dealing with the evil of man. That's why the film works. No vampires, no zombies, no super human killers. Just a very sick individual doing very sick things. It's psychological mindfuck art house at it's best.
The performances all around are top notch, you feel so bad for Stacey from the second you meet her. She's an innocent, lost in the world and Brandon knows this. The film does indeed have plenty of nudity in it, but it's certainly not "good nudity". So don't go to this film expecting to get your rocks off. You don't watch the film, you experience it. Much like I said before about Shane's latest film "A". Prepare a stiff drink for when your done watching and be prepared to take a shower to wash away the feeling that you just watched something that maybe shouldn't have been seen. The film comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. But I must add a caution note to this. It's a highly disturbing film and certainly not for everyone.
A quick note, don't be fooled and pick up the 3-pack of the entire trilogy in 3D. It's not actual 3D and it never was the directors intent for the films to be seen that way. If you can, track down the original release of the film on DVD.
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