COMPULSUS Interview with Tara Thorne

 
COMPULSUS Interview

 
Featuring: Writer/Director Tara Thorne

COMPULSUS recently screened at Fantasia International Film Festival 2022 and was an amazing showcase of feminism, vigilantism and sticking it to the patriarchy. (Go check out my review)

I knew if I got the opportunity to chat with writer/director Tara Thorne, I had to take it. 

I was not disappointed.

Theresa Dillon (TD) - THELMA AND LOUISE is your favorite movie and obviously an inspiration for COMPULSUS. Additionally, the MeToo movement. What else inspired you to make this film?

Tara Thorne (TT) – It was a lifelong rage that took a long, long time to accumulate and be expressed. I often think, if I were 25, I wouldn’t have been able to write this movie. Or even if I was 35. But I turned 40, which is such a cliché story. I turned 40 and I had just left the newspaper that I worked at for 19 years. I was like “Okay, what are we doing? What’s happening? What’s life now?”

The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, a film co-op in Halifax that I ended up working for the following year, was running a workshop called Writing Small and it was specifically geared to produce screenplays with the intent to apply to this town to watch program, which is something that Telefilm Canada runs. It’s micro budget at $150,000. 

The point of the workshop was to teach you how to write a story that fits specific parameters. You had to apply with a couple ideas, and I had this one that was “What if women were as violent as men?” I also thought that a woman vigilante would public compartmentalize - like it wouldn't take over her life. She would live a normal life in the day and then go home at night. And that’s sort of the idea we developed and ended up getting to make it.

TD - The poems from Sue Goyette are brilliant and incredibly impactful. Was it difficult as a writer to write around these monologues? How did you keep at it and what was it like working with Sue?

TT - She wrote them after. I wrote the script and I literally had written “a poem by Sue will go here.” I ticked her off that I was writing again, at a Christmas party, and she was sort of like, “Okay. I’m sure you’ll give me a script” and I was like, “Here it is.” She loved it so she wrote the poems specifically for us. 

She’s very thoughtful, very empathetic and a really great writer, as you can tell. We had coffee one day, and she was like, “I’m going to ask you a bunch of questions about Wally and I don’t want you to think about it. I want you to just answer and it would be like, “Where are her parents? What did they do? What’s her astrological sign? Where did she come out? Does she have a pet?” and just like rapid fire things that I never thought of that actually really opened up the process when we hired Lesley Smith as Wally.

But yeah, Sue sent the poems to me. I think when Lesley got the script, the third one, the one that closes the movie wasn’t even there yet. So we had two, and then the third one came in, and it was like such a stunner. 

I think, across those three poems, I changed one word, because they were all just so perfect.

TD - Why did you choose to erase all males in this feature? I personally loved this about your film.

TT - Well, it’s a bit of a savings. One actor can play six guys. It was deliberate and there's a note on the script stating no men will be seen and all male names will be bleeped.

Because I wanted to kind of subvert the idea of the victim and that when there’s so many nameless 2D women as victims in movies, and I was like, that’s what we’re going to do because it’s not about the men, it’s not about who they are or whether they deserve it. A lot of people were like, “How do we even know they were the right ones?” and I'm like it doesn't even matter. That’s the point. 

The point is that Wally is doing it. The point is not the violence, the point is the action. So I thought we won’t ever see him, just hear from him - which made it a bit difficult to shoot sometimes. It was like, “Ah, we can see his face.” And Jimmy is very handsome so it’s too bad we robbed people of seeing his face.

He did a lot by playing seven different guys whose opening line is basically “Hey,” and he managed to do all of them with these with different kinds of disgusting vibes.

TD - Yeah, but they’re true gross vibes from real life. I mean, I don’t know what woman hasn’t received one of those lines in their life like it. 

TT – Exactly. My favorite attack is the staple gun because I think she’s just so badass. To me it’s the one where she was out minding her own business and a guy just has to interfere. It’s like you could have avoided all this. You could have just not.

TD - Have you gotten any comparisons to PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and what do you tell viewers who want to make that comparison?

TT – We have been compared as the queer version of PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, which is a huge compliment to me. I love that movie. 

It came out when we were shooting and the movie theaters had just opened back up in Halifax so I asked all the cast to go see it. Lesley took her mom the day she got out of quarantine. And I really, really liked that movie. It’s super divisive and like THELMA AND LOUISE, it has a very tragic ending and I’m happy to be compared to it.

I think we’re a bit different in that Carey Mulligan in that movie is already resigned to the end. You know, she’s like, she’s dead already when we meet her. And she’s also been doing it for a lot longer. 

Whereas we’re just meeting Wally at the top of her journey. And I think it ends better – I don’t want to spoil it, but we just sort of stop it at the moment where it’s like, “What is going happen to her now?” 

TD - I thought it was very impactful. I love PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, but I just felt yours was a lot more powerful in the thoughtful ways you wrote and directed it.

TT - And in PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, she's super unlikable in a lot of ways. She’s setting all these other women up horribly, and you’re sort of in the two wrongs don’t make a right category. It kind of goes there. You know, it’s funny with that movie, I finished my first draft and I had had been sending it around in January of 2020. So when we went to Sundance and they dropped the trailer, people were sending it to me, like, do you know about this movie? And I was like, “I know, it’s our movie with Hollywood people.” 

I didn’t want to do the chickadee course that washed up a year or two later but you know, COMPULSUS is different than that and I’m happy to be compared.

TD - So kind of going in line with what you’re saying about Carey Mulligan’s character, how important is female companionship to help topple the patriarchy? 

TT - Well, I mean, I think we all know that women need to sit together and white women in particular aren’t that great at being intersectional. You know, the whole white women for Trump business? I think it is super important but we’re not quite there yet. I tried to convert men over my whole life or bring men over to our side of thinking, but it’s too much work and they don’t want to. And we’re seeing, especially in your country (United States), we’re seeing men going, “Oh, we lost a tiny bit of power and now we’re calling it all back.” Men are a waste of energy. So yes, I think you do need to sort of convert the women, the ones who are kind of falling in line with their husbands or maybe feel like they have to. It’s supremely important. 

TD - So do you consider yourself a Wally or Lou because Wally and Lou are a great couple, but they’re very different in their stances.

TT – They’re both kind of me. Wally is the me that I wish I could be, and Lou is me that is very law abiding where I’ll be like, “I don’t think we should do this.” I would be a terrible vigilante. I can’t run, I’m very clumsy and I was on the radio in Halifax for 15 years, so I have a very recognizable old voice. 

I would not go undetected; it would just not be possible. So yeah, they’re both sort of the sides of me that I wish I could be but really, I’m more like Lou. In editing we kept saying that Lou isn’t that cool. But someone has to be the voice of reason. She wanted the relationship to work out. She’s like "I like this girl but she’s a vigilante" and that doesn’t quite work with many people’s lifestyles.

TD - So how can women become vigilantes in their own lives and what does society need to do now to support women specifically in film?

TT - I mean, I’m not sitting here as a pro vigilante person. It’s dangerous. I think, obviously, in terms of what you can do is vote for the right people that represent you, your interests and the best case scenario for everybody. 

But I also know that people are very disenfranchised with voting and at all levels so it sort of feels like you can't do anything. 

But I think in terms of women in film, we need to lift each other up. It used to be that there was only one woman - she has all the spots, and she doesn’t want to give it up. But that’s not true anymore. We have a very supportive community in Halifax where people lift each other up. We very intentionally went out to find key department heads who were women, and a lot of them, it was their first time on a feature.

The idea is you give someone the experience. And especially in film, if you can’t do the thing, you pass a name along and that’s how many women get work - by word of mouth. 

So yeah, don’t automatically to fall to your bro. Just think outside the box a little bit and put women up for things when the opportunity arises.

TD - I have one final question. I read that you’re working on a dramedy currently titled LAKEVIEW. Is this continuing the story with Wally or are we getting a whole new story to tell society to get its shit together?

TT - Oh, it’s so the opposite. COMPULSUS is very much an outlier for me. 

LAKEVIEW is actually an ensemble comedy that came out of filming COMPULSUS. All the actors knew each other because it’s Halifax and they were being very funny off screen and didn’t get to be that in the movie. 

Even when I was standing there working on COMPULSUS, I’d think “Man, it’d be nice to bring some of this energy on screen.”

So the idea of LAKEVIEW is just to get a bunch of really talented people together and kind of let them go free and let the camera be looser and let them improv and have fun.

We’ll see what happens but COMPULSUS is probably going to be it for me in terms of patriarchy busting. It will now be more of casual female representation.

TD – That’s great to hear because I was like, “Oh, is LAKEVIEW a follow up? I hope it’s not.” because I think the way you ended COMPULSUS was perfect. 

TT – PIG IN THE CITY or BACK IN HABIT, those were our two junkie sequel names but no, there’s no COMPULSUS cinematic universe. Thank you for asking.

Sissy Q and A

 SISSY Q&A with Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes

In SISSY, childhood trauma comes back with vengeance. After over a decade apart, pre-teen best friends Cecilia and Emma run into each other at the pharmacy. Emma is delighted to catch up with her bestie “Sissy” and quickly invites her to her bachelorette weekend getaway in the Australian outback.

SISSY is a nice blend of horror/comedy with satirical messaging around social media and some damn good practical effects and kill scenes.

Writers/directors Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes chatted with me virtually about their second feature film that recently screened at Fantasia International Film Festival 2022.

Theresa Dillon (TD) - What was your inspiration for creating this film? 

Hannah Barlow (HB) - I think there are lots of things. There’s the childhood bullying aspect, which is personal. There’s the toxic consequences of us all being engaged with social media as a generation. That’s our kind of intellectual social commentary, and that’s where the satire comes in. And then there’s also the road trip, almost the core element, which stems from our last film (FOR NOW) which was a $25,000 road trip movie we shot in seven days that was completely improvised. 

So when that came out, we did some screenings and received some feedback that if we turned that film into a slasher at the midpoint, it would have had some commercial success. And so that kind of inspired us.

Kane Senes (KS) - When you’ve only got like 25K to make a film, and seven days to shoot it, genre works quite well for that. I think it's the only way to do it really well. 

I mean there’s amazing genre films that get made for no money as well. But we didn’t know how to do it, that’s for sure. It was a testing ground to see if we could work together and we love working together and wanted to do it again. So we decided to do it in more of a conventional sense. We wrote a proper screenplay, we went and got it funded, and made a movie in a kind of tried and tested way as opposed to the very kind of experimental nature. So now we feel like we’re onto something and that’s what we’re going to look to keep doing moving forward.

TD - Your film has a nice blend of slasher and a playful light-heartedness. Were there any horror films that influenced you to go this route in the creative process?

KS - We kind of approached it as a combination of Y2K, late 90’s, coming of age type comedies.

HB - Our main goal was in vain of BRIDESMAIDS or CROSSROADS. CROSSROADS most people write off, but I think, was a core film of that generation.

KS - And also MURIEL'S WEDDING which is an iconic Australian movie. I remember there’s comedy but it’s actually a very dark film and when we really looked at it, we just kind of thought “Well, what if you kind of snapped and killed all your friends?” 

And that led us to a slasher because we wanted to make something in the horror space.

There’s a great thing you can do with horror, which is quite unique and that you can’t really do with any other genre, which is to approach a topic and really attack it in an over-the-top way. 

In drama that comes across as unrealistic and it takes you out of the viewing experiences. As an audience member in horror, that’s what you want. You want to be shocked. You want to be disturbed. You want to be really entertained. 

That was a fun playground to play in as a filmmaker because anything goes and from the horror side of things, it was movies like CARRIE, that is probably the greatest kind and first of its kind in terms of getting revenge on the bully.

And so it was CARRIE, it was SINGLE WHITE FEMALE in terms of the female would kind of toxic female relationship and also all the 60’s and 70’s giallos, slashers in general, and just our love of 90’s filmmaking aesthetic. 

HB - And DEATH BECOMES HER sort of tone,

KS - Yeah, the kind of horror comedy tone from DEATH BECOMES HER. Horror comedy was something we wanted to do and when you really look at it, there’s not a lot them.

TD - No, that's a really hard area to break out in. 

KS - Yeah and those are often our favorite film experiences as a viewer because they’re just so entertaining.

HB - And GET OUT changed the game. It just reminded us that we can meld genres. 

KS - Yeah. Which Tarantino has made a career off doing that. It’s just really fun to mash up genres and really feel anything goes. 

TD - You touch pretty hard on our current influencer culture in SISSY. What is your current view on influencers and what would you want viewers walking away thinking?

HB - We think it’s a double-edged sword. You know for millennials, Gen Z, it’s a legitimate profession. I have friends who are influencers in their own ways. I think that it's just sad really. Like you’re commodifying your life to these conglomerates or companies benefit, and it’s exhausting. And I think it has a huge impact on people’s mental health, but it’s also not helping us as people who are absorbing what they’re profiting. 

I think it’s proven now that social media is bad for your mental health. Physiologically, and psychologically, we are now starting to think in eight second bytes, which is really bad for our brain cell memory, especially TikTok. 

But it’s also an incredible tool to connect with people across the world. Like we’re always meeting people at festivals and starting friendships and we’re able to maintain those friendships and build them because of Instagram.

KS - Technology is leading us right rather than the other way around. It’s exponentially moving at a rate that we can’t keep up with. Across the board, technology is kind of forcing us to evolve at a rate that we’re not naturally ready to do. That’s where a lot of the negative aspects of social media come from. 

It’s a swinging pendulum moment we’re kind of in the middle of right now. It’s a big seismic shift in terms of technology and our online lives and we're getting more and more detached from nature and from natural rhythms.

HB - Our personalities are homogenizing. Individualism is kind of disappearing. I think it’s the Kardashian effect, and for women, our self-worth and self-perception is becoming distant. It’s just really scary. 

TD - Your special effects are on point. What scene or kill was the most difficult to film or figure out how to film?

KS - I would say the roadside one where Fran gets it.

TD - Yeah, I wasn't expecting that one. I was like, Oh, shit.

KS - We had to make a mold of her head and obviously the mold had to be made in advance, but you also have to think about what position that she’s going to be in on the day that you film it. And you have to reverse engineer the whole thing.

 And because of the way we did it, in a more traditional sense, the actor had to lay there. And then you’d cut away and then you’d cut back to just the dummy head getting squashed. But we wanted to have the actor’s face live and within the same shot, have that head squash so we had to kind of line up the actor with the fake head.

HB - That fake head was amazing. 

KS - Larry Van Duynhoven, he’s like the Tom Savini of Australia. He’s just doing all the practical effects and all the genre movies in Australia. And we were very lucky to get him and his guys and because he was able to help explain how to pull off that kind of thing. 

And then also Seth Larney, he really was kind of adamant that we tried to get it all in the one shot. And I think really made the shot. 

And similarly with the body going off the cliff, to not necessarily cut away to inserts of bones crunching, which might have been more graphic, but if you can hold it in one shot, to figure out how to bounce that body off rocks. Both were really good examples of just having a practical effects guy, and then also your VFX guy and then figuring out a way where we can use both tools to kind of make the impossible shots. 

That’s the advantage of VFX. Even though we like to do as many things practically in the camera as we can, the addition of VFX supplements. The practical effects just help kind of add that element of impossibility to it.

TD - We’ve only got time for one more question so any last words for the mean girls and bullies out there?

HB - Yeah, I think beware of the consequences of your actions, but also as much I think kids bully and we get bullied, we have to believe in radical self-responsibility. So as much as no one deserves to get picked on, it’s also your job as an individual to clear your own brooding. I think there’s that message that I can hold on to victimizing myself forever from my childhood bullying, but it’s not helping them and it’s not helping me. 

KS - You can’t control what other people say or do to you. You can only control your reaction to it and how you respond. And that’s on us. And I think we live in a very self-victimizing society. And you know, yes, it would be great if bullying was a thing of the past. But reality is, it's never going to be. But at least we can control how it affects us and practice mindfulness in that sense.

Fantasia International Film Festival Compulsus Review

COMPULSUS Film Review

Written/Directed by Tara Thorne

Fantasia International Film Festival

Sadly, it’s time to close the curtain on Fantasia International Film Festival 2022. But not without one last film review! And this film, COMPULSUS, was a powerful closer for my screenings.

COMPULSUS is currently being dubbed “the queer PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN” but while on the surface it’s any easy comparison (and one Tara Thorne has embraced), COMPULSUS is a very different story of #MeToo vigilantism.

We are introduced to our protagonist, Wally, at a poetry reading. She is reading aloud her latest work, under bright technicolor lighting, and you can tell she’s on the precipice of something big. 

She wraps up and enjoys some beer with her platonic girlfriends where they start to talk about their love lives, frustrations over men and their behavior, and a hot restaurateur in town who has garnered a reputation for sexual abuse.

Next time we see Wally, she is arguing with her sister over the phone – who is clearly giving off vibes of abuse by her husband. Wally is blind to the signs as she her mind quickly gets preoccupied with her new love interest, Lou, a woman who is fearful of being consumed by Wally.

In fact, after one date, Lou breaks things off only to run into Wally as she takes down a man in the street for being a known rapist. Lou tells her to finish him off and they begin a campaign together to take down all bad men.

For Wally, she never had anything happen to her but she feels compelled to do something. Lou wants to help but also keep Wally safe from the law and consequences.

By the time we hit the third act of the film, Wally delivers one the of most profound poems that hits the mark on how many women are feeling in today’s world. And we continue on a roller coaster ride until the climax and final poem is performed by breaking the fourth wall and is delivered by the full all-women cast.

The writing of this film was extremely well thought out and felt very personal. Between the poems written by Sue Goyette and the genuine lines of fury, frustration, care and love from all the female characters and then the common, unsolicited lines from the men, you feel a part of this film. It’s so real. 

And my personal favorite trait of this film – and the main way it stands out from PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Thorne deliberately bleeped out all the men’s names and you never any of the men’s faces. You only hear their unwanted advances and see their jean jacket/hoody combo – mostly from the back.

She took away the opportunity for the audience to develop any compassion for the men in this film.

Much like how the patriarchy has continually taken away from women and erased them.

This is a deep take on the #MeToo movement and I hope it get legs and walks all over the men holding women back from telling stories like this.

4.0 out of 5.0

The festival may be over but I have some interviews coming soon, including a  Q&A with director Tara Thorne!

Fantasia International Film Festival Capsule Reviews

Fantasia International Film Festival Capsule Reviews

GLORIOUS, DEADSTREAM & DARK GLASSES

I’ve got a trio of short capsule reviews from 3 big horror features from Fantasia International Film Festival. Get a taste of what you can look forward to streaming soon and watch for my full reviews with their releases.

GLORIOUS

Directed by Rebekah McKendry

Rebekah McKendry’s third feature film, GLORIOUS, is a Lovecraftian nightmare set in the one place most of us fear most – the public, roadside restroom.

When heartbroken Wes makes a pitstop at a remote rest stop, he gets more than a reprieve from his sadness as a mysterious figure begins speaking from an adjacent stall. Very quickly, Wes gets involved in a situation more terrible than he could imagine.

With great practical and special effects, subtle humor (reminded me of Peter Clines’ Threshold Universe), an amazing, unexpected twist and poetic ending, this film leaves its mark like the graffiti found on restroom stalls.

Mark your calendar for GLORIOUS’ Shudder debut on August 18.

DEADSTREAM

Directed by Joseph Winter and Vanessa Winter

DEADSTREAM is the first feature film for Joseph and Vanessa Winter, and it is very evident that a lot of love was put into this film. Not only did they both write and direct this feature, but Joseph also starred, edited, produced, and created the music. 

And it was a fun, well-rounded story with a disgraced internet personality who attempts to win back his followers by livestreaming one night alone in a haunted house but accidentally pisses off a vengeful spirit.

The buildup is slow but worth it with an explosive third act. The practical effects were fantastic for a lower budget film. Additionally, DEADSTREAM did its job – it scared the audience (me). Afterwards, I kept checking corners and turned on all the lights in my house.

Watch for DEADSTREAM’s streaming release to be announced soon and gather your wimpier friends for a fun night of frights.

DARK GLASSES

Directed by Dario Argento

Dario Argento returns to cinema with his first film in ten years, DARK GLASSES.

We should be rejoicing his return but alas this is not a return to giallo.

DARK GLASSES follows Diana, a young woman who lost her sight due to a tragic accident caused by killer who is stalking the Italian streets for sex workers. In addition to her loss, Diana discovers the family involved on the other end of the accident suffered great losses as well and she takes in Chin, the 7-year-old son to protect him from the foster system. Together, they protect one another from the dangers of the outside world.

The first 10 minutes of DARK GLASSES is promising with classic Argento colors, camera angles and the possibility of an interesting story aligning with an eclipse event our main character witnesses. But it quickly goes down a path of ridiculousness and never recovers.

Argento fans will most likely check this film out it with its release (and probably be severely disappointed). If you’re just now diving into Argento, stick with his classics.

Fantasia International Film Festival - Legions Review

LEGIONS Film Review

Written/Directed by: Fabian Forte

Fantasia International Film Festival

For this next Fantasia International Film Festival review, we’re going to the jungles of Argentina where demonic creatures lurk and the world’s best hope is confined to an insane asylum.

In LEGIONS, the once legendary shaman Antonio Poyju is haunted by the mistakes of his past but when a malevolent demonic force reveals itself, he rallies together a ragtag ensemble of inmates to spring him from his confinement, so that he can reconcile with his estranged daughter Helena and reunite their magical bloodline to stave off the evil. 

LEGIONS has three distinct storylines that try to work together to tell the story of Antonio and Helena. And while each storyline is well thought out, there’s pieces missing from the full picture that prevent the viewer from feeling fully invested in their story.

Why exactly is Antonio in the asylum? What is the history of the demonic creatures and why can only his bloodline tame them? And who is this mysterious woman who appears suddenly to help Antonio reach out to his daughter?

In fact, the storyline that was most intriguing to me was the institution putting on a play around Antonio’s life as they got bored of the Broadway “classics.” Antonio was constantly reminding people his stories were life experiences and that it was important to always keep the faith. Why not keep the story within the institution walls?

And the unique characters of the asylum are where LEGIONS really shined. Even the smallest role stood out for its quirkiness – my favorite being Eduardo, a man in the institution who ran around the asylum in a handmade devil costume. 

LEGIONS is an interesting take on demonic possession outside of Christianity but misses the mark a bit on making a bigger impact with its message of faith.

3.0 out of 5.0

Fantasia International Film Festival - Next Exit Review

NEXT EXIT Film Review

Written/Directed by Mali Elfman

Fantasia International Film Festival

Strap yourself in for a life changing road trip. NEXT EXIT, an official selection at Tribeca 2022, had its screening at Fantasia International Film Festival on July 18 and I can’t get this film out of my head. That’s a good thing.

NEXT EXIT is set in the near future where a breakthrough scientific discovery has changed the course for humanity. Research scientist Dr. Stevenson (Karen Gillan) has discovered that ghosts are very real and continue to exist beyond. Thanks to her technology, ghosts can be identified and tracked. A call goes out for volunteers to help her research and very quickly, lines are divided over the ethical implications involved. 

Yet there are still very eager volunteers. That’s when we meet Rose (Katie Parker), a young woman being haunted by a presence she can’t outrun, and Teddy (Rahul Kohli), a young man looking to confront his past. 

In a chance encounter, these two are forced to drive together to San Francisco from New York to make their volunteer appointments. During those 2,901 miles, they bicker, they annoy each other, they learn more about each other’s lives and meet different people along their journey that ultimately help them reckon with what is really driving their desire to die.

This film does not hold back when it comes to hot button issues - science, religion, right to die, suicide, PTSD, border issues, etc. And I applaud Mila for her sensitivity yet impactful writing and direction around these topics.

Watching the film there are plenty of intense moments – one of which features a border patrol agent in Texas – that hit harder than most horror films as these are genuine human moments. And just when you need a little a relief, the characters come at you with their vulnerability, tenderness and touch of their comedic side. It’s a very well-balanced film.

Additionally, the small cast leaves an impression. The chemistry between Kaite Parker and Rahul Kohli is absolutely amazing. Karen Gillan does a great Elizabeth Holmes-esque research doctor. And the guides Rose and Teddy meet along their journey, while only briefly a part of their lives, are memorable and leave a lasting impression making the climax of the film that much more powerful.

NEXT EXIT is one beautiful film and has been added to my list of films I feel every human should be required to watch to make humanity better.

4.5 out of 5.

*CONTEST ALERT*

Enter to win tickets to an advanced screening of the new sci-fi film NEXT EXIT brought to you by the Phoenix Film Festival. The screening will include a Q&A with director Mali Elfman, actress Katie Parker and producer Derek Bishé!

October 27th, 7PM, Harkins Scottsdale 101

Enter to win here: https://www.phoenixfilmfestival.com/next-exit

https://youtu.be/0EwMQVTQrI8

Fantasia International Film Festival - Sissy and Employee of the Month Reviews

Women Get Revenge Double Feature

SISSY and EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH Film Reviews

Fantasia International Film Festival 

For my next round of film reviews for Fantasia International Film Festival, I’m going to feature two films that I think would make a great double feature – SISSY and EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH.

Both are written/directed by women and are entertaining women get revenge features. Ladies, get ready to plan a girls’ night!

SISSY

Written/Directed by Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes

In SISSY, childhood trauma comes back with vengeance. After over a decade apart, pre-teen best friends Cecilia and Emma run into each other at the pharmacy. Emma is delighted to catch up with her bestie “Sissy” and quickly invites her to her bachelorette weekend getaway in the Australian outback. 

Unbeknownst to Cecilia, her childhood bully is hosting this remote getaway. Once the party gets started, the past comes roaring back, and the film takes a turn from being light-hearted to a brutal slasher. 

Main actress, Aisha Dee, owns playing Cecilia with her amazing portrayal of naivety and buried trauma. Additionally, writer/director, Hannah Barlow, stars as Emma and is great at playing the friend who wants to play nice with everybody – even if it leads to unfortunate consequences and the ultimate third wheel nightmare.

SISSY is a nice blend of horror/comedy with satirical messaging around social media and some damn good practical effects and kill scenes. 

3.5 out of 5.0

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH

Written/Directed by Véronique Jadin

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH places viewers smack dab in the middle of a toxic masculinity  workplace with hard-working, middle-aged Ines.

Always eager to please, on this specific day Ines is tasked with mentoring the intern, Melody, while the men go out with the corporate boss to celebrate their success and raises.

During the first 10 minutes, viewers see Ines get consistently belittled by her male peers and learn she has been looked over for a raise during her 17-year career.

Ines finally decides to stand up to her boss Patrick where he proceeds to not only blow off her request, but also chooses to help her “feel better” by pushing her to give him oral sex. Melody then walks into the office and causes a horrific accident.

What follows next is a hilarious series of unfortunate events, female rage, and budding friendship over taking down the patriarchy.

This film is full of cleverly crafted moments of outlandish violence and very talented actors that were able to pull off the softer, tender moments as well as the comedic scenes.

EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH is a quirky dark comedy that delivers a sharp look at office culture through the horror lens. 

3.5 out of 5.0

Fantasia International Film Festival - The Girl From the Other Side Review

THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE Film Review

Directed by: Yutaro Kubo

Fantasia International Film Festival

It's time for my second film review from Fantasia International Film Festival! 

For this review, I went on a different journey with the anime feature film THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE. 

Now, before I dive in, I want to share some backstory on this film that I learned after watching it. 

THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE is originally a manga series created by Nagabe. It was nominated for the Best Comic award at the 45th Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2018 and was on the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list by the American Library Association's YALSA division in both 2018 and 2019.

Director Yutaro Kubo showcased a short film of THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE at Fantasia International Film Festival in 2019 and then a Kickstarter was born to create a full-length feature. Obviously, the Kickstarter was successful and THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE made its debut in Japan spring of this year.

Why am I telling you all this? Basically, to show my humble background of the anime world. I love Studio Ghibli films and have seen PERFECT BLUE, AKIRA, PAPRIKA and BERSERK. But that is the extent of my anime knowledge.

I am open to anime and any foreign feature film for that matter. In fact, foreign horror films are some of my absolute favorite films. 

So when I saw the film image and read about THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE, I knew this was a film I had to see. In fact, it was one of the ones I was most excited for.

And I was not disappointed.

This was an amazingly beautiful, animated feature film. From the art style to the flowing piano
music; to the simple yet powerful plot and huggable characters, I was moved to tears. 

If like me you haven't read the manga, THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE is a dark fairytale set in a world divided into two halves. The Outside and the Inside. The Inside is run by humans, and they fear the Outside as it's run by demonic beings with a lingering curse. As one village is ransacked to prevent further spread of the curse, one girl is left behind and discovered by a creature from the Outside. Instead of leaving her, he decides to take her in. 

When she awakes, she tells him her name is Shiva. The creature can't remember his human name, so she calls him "Teacher." 

What follows is an endearing story of affection and bringing light into darkness.

The animation style is very different from previous anime feature film classics, but it easily stands out as its own masterpiece.  

The plot, like many other animes, is subtle but impactful. Some may want more or a better explanation in the third act.

Overall, is this a worthy adaptation of the manga? Art-wise, absolutely. Story-wise, I don't know. 

But you can bet I'm adding the omnibus to my book collection.

4.5 out of 5.0

Fantasia International Film Festival - Swallowed Review

SWALLOWED Film Review

Written/Directed by Carter Smith

FANTASIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

SWALLOWED is the first film review I have coming your way from Fantasia International Film Festival. Proclaiming to be “a nightmare of drugs, bugs, and horrific intimacy,” this film is not for the squeamish. 

This body horror tale revolves around two best friends, Benjamin (Cooper Koch) and Dom (Jose Colon) spending their last days together before Benjamin leaves to start his career in L.A. As a last hurrah with a heavy payout, Dom makes a deal to deliver some groundbreaking drugs for his cousin’s girlfriend, Alice (Jena Malone). 

Their intro with Alice doesn’t go well as they discover this new drug entails a unique delivery – swallowing the payload (bugs) and then expelling them, fully intact, from their rectum. With no other options, both swallow the drugs and leave to make their delivery.

Luck is not on their side as a redneck man accuses both Benjamin and Dom of homosexual activities in a rest stop restroom and punches Dom hard in the stomach, causing the drugs to hatch and a spiraling situation to ensue. 

While the first act of this film started off a little cheesy and not quite thoroughly thought out in my opinion, the second and third acts completely redeemed this film and place Carter Smith as a director who’s not afraid to push the limits but also create empathy around tragic characters.

The acting was superb in this film. It’s a small cast but every portrayal with done with the utmost care and attention. The bugs were not at all cheap once they were shown and additionally not the most terrifying part of this film – considering the graphic nature of their delivery.

In fact, the subtle direction they chose to show the bugs expulsion was incredibly nerve wracking yet endearing. 

But it was the growing tension between Benjamin and the head drug boss, played by Mark Patton, that made this film. You can’t pull away from their careful game of cat and mouse that ultimately ends in one of the harshest death scenes I’ve seen to date.

SWALLOWED is unquestionably queer horror. Every character lands somewhere within the LGBTQ+ spectrum and I personally haven't seen representation quite this before. Queer love is definitely the central motivator and SWALLOWED breaks with tradition by providing a final gay boy. 

This was a unique trip and one I will not be able to forget for a long time.

3.5 out of 5.0

Fantasia International Film Festival Most Anticipated Films

Fantasia International Film Festival

My Seven Most Anticipated Films

The Fantasia International Film Festival is rebounding back into theatres to celebrate its 26th edition July 14 to August 3, 2022.

And what an amazing line-up of films this year! 

To choose just a handful of “my most anticipated films” posed a challenge for me. Not only because there was an extensive list of female written/directed films (which if you’re an avid reader of Coda, you know I’m all over), but this festival just revives my love of genre films and unique storytelling.

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 7 films I’m looking forward to watching the most.

1. POLARIS

Written and Directed by KC Carthew

Fantasia’s opening film, POLARIS, won me over from the poster. I know, don’t judge a book, or movie, by it’s cover but it’s a killer shot of a young girl screaming ala Alexander Skarsgård from THE NORTHMAN. It’s such a powerful image and it’s backed by an intense synopsis of an all-female-identifying cast in a Yukon dystopian future Mad Max style. Being called an eco-action fantasy, I think this film is going to be one intense, chilling ride.

2. GLORIOUS

Directed by Rebekah McKendry

Not only is Rebekah McKendry a fantastic filmmaker but she is an amazing mentor for women who want to break into the horror genre. I’ll always support her work and GLORIOUS sounds like an interesting ride with Ryan Kwanten (TRUE BLOOD) locked inside a roadside bathroom with a mysterious stall buddy. It’s a blend of horror and comedy – a hard combo to get right - but Rebekah did it before with her anthology ALL THE CREATURES WERE SO STIRRING so I’m looking forward to another good time with this one.

3. NEXT EXIT

Written and Directed by Mali Elfman

NEXT EXIT is being hailed part ghost story, part speculative sci-fi and is Mail Elfman’s film debut. It’s story centers around two strangers who volunteered to help with a new groundbreaking discovery that identifies and tracks people in the afterlife. Oh, and did I mention it stars Karen Gillan, Katie Parker and Rahul Kohli? Yes, this will be an eye-opening road trip.

4. HUESERA

Written and Directed by Michelle Garza Cevera

I’m constantly drawn to films about pregnancy and motherhood. Maybe it’s because I hate the pressure around it on women. Or maybe it’s because pregnancy is not in the cards for me and watching the good, bad and ugly of it is fascinating to me. My personal feelings aside, HUESERA is a recent multiple award winner from Tribeca that explores the self-compromise of pregnancy with supernatural themes. After the recent overturn of Roe vs Wade, this film may continue to haunt us long after watching it.

5. THE FIFTH THORACIC VERTEBRA

Directed by Park Syeyoung

I’m also a sucker for a good monster movie. This South Korean film just blows my mind from the concept. THE FIFTH THORACIC VERTEBRA tells the story of mold left behind on a mattress after a couple breaks up. Structured around a countdown to a mysterious birth, the film follows the life of the mold as it slowly grows into a creature that steals the vertebrae of humans who inhabit the bed. How can you not want to see this unique story unfold?

6. THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE

Co-Directed by Yutaro Kubo and Satomi Maiya

My partner introduced me to Studio Ghibli and helped me develop a taste for anime feature films. THE GIRL FROM THE OTHER SIDE is a film about a dark creature who becomes the guardian of an innocent human child. It looks like an enchanting tale of Shiva and Teacher and fills me with warm fuzzies already.

7. RELAX, I’M FROM THE FUTURE

Directed by Luke Higginson

So, the majority of my film list has been pretty dark but here comes some light in the form of Rhys Darby. YES! According to its synopsis, RELAX, I’M FROM THE FUTURE is all fun and games until the world is in jeopardy and goofy time traveler Casper (Rhys Darby) is the only one who can do something about it. When he stumbles into Holly’s (Gabrielle Graham) life, a nutty plan unfolds involving a cartoonist and a nasty time travel agent. Darby is extremely memorable in his countless small roles so I can’t wait to see him take center stage in this first feature film from Higginson.

Now that you’ve read through my list of “most anticipated,” stay tuned July 14 – August 3 to see my reviews of the above films, and more. It’s going to be epic.

If you happen to be in Montreal, tickets for Fantasia International Film Festival go on sale July 9th - https://fantasiafestival.com/en/tickets-and-venues. In-person screenings will be held in Montreal only.