Part morality tale, part genre film, Jean-Charles Hue's Eat Your Bones tells the story of Jason Dorkel, an 18-year-old, who lives among a community of gypsies in Northern France. Preparing for his baptism, Jason finds his world flipped upside down when his half-brother Fred returns home after spending 15 years in prison. Idolizing his big brother, Jason wants to spend more time with Fred, leading the two of them to set off together, with their other brother, the hot-headed Michael, and their Christian activist cousin, to steal a truckload of copper, although things go dramatically wrong along the way. Focusing on forgotten and underprivileged group of outcasts living in Northern France, Eat Your Bones is a story about personal responsibility, as the main protagonist Jason finds himself confronted by his older brother's harsh way of life. Fred is a character who views his criminal actions as an act of necessity, blaming everyone but himself for his criminal actions. Jason values Fred's overall demeanor, though through this fateful night he begins to find see his worldview shattered as he becomes face to face with the true consequences of living the gangster lifestyle. Eat Your Bones is a film that understands to importance of defining the world its characters inhabit, taking its time in relaying the setting of its characters to its audience in a way that only helps the viewer understand the circumstances of its characters. A film about the shattering of innocence, Eat Your Bones is a beautifully photographed film with a great sense of visual poetry, and as soon as Fred shows up, there is an impending sense of dread centered around the narrative, with Jason whole-hardheartedly confiding in his brother. Jason completely trusts Fred's decision-making, though as the film progresses and the dangers escalate, the audience begins to question how Fred could even let his younger brother into such dangerous circumstances. The film's heavy use of orange and yellow creates a sense of warmth, with the visceral energy of the color palette visually expressing Jason's psyche, a character who finds sense of warmth and comfort around his big brother. Featuring an utterly unique story of personal responsibility that blends character drama and genre filmmaking, Eat Your Bones is a poetically told coming of age story like very few before it.
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Lillian and Geoffrey, a seemingly-loving couple, have just rented a house in the Catskill Mountains. Intent on having a baby, Lillian wants to escape the hustle and bustle of New York City, with the idyllic countryside providing an ample setting for rest and relaxation. Unfortunately for Lillian, her husband continues to wrapped up in his work -very secretive scientific analysis that Geoffrey believes will make them rich and famous. Neglected by her husband, Lillian meets a charming ecological advocate, and the two begin have an affair. Meanwhile, it becomes clear that Geoffrey's hidden experiments are pushing the boundary of scientific ethics, creating dangerous and unethical experiments in the name of science. Larry Fessenden's No Telling is a case study in low-budget horror, with the filmmaker creating an atmospheric thriller/horror film through the use of well-designed direction, cinematography, and sound design. No Telling is a film that I would recommend to any young, aspiring filmmaker, as Fessenden uses well-designed camera movements and shot-compositions to create a brooding experience with a very small budget, creating a great sense of impending dread that slowly and methodically progresses towards its conclusion. No Telling is a film that works on multiple levels, being an allegory about the importance of honesty in relationships as well as a biting morality tale of man's desire to manipulate and tamper with nature. Geoffrey and Lillian are two characters who keep a lot of secrets from one and other, and as No Telling progresses it becomes clear that these secrets are slowly destroying their relationship, as Geoffrey's inability to share anything about his work, or show any interest towards Lillian's needs, slowly pushes his wife into the arms of another man. Fessenden's use of juxtaposition really stands out in documenting these two character's deteriorating relationship, contrasting Geoffrey's scientific tampering with Lillian's appreciation of nature through her drawings and paintings. With Geoffrey's work being centered around manipulating animal body parts, No Telling feels like an homage to Frankenstein at times, though Fessenden's film doesn't solely focus on man's manipulation of nature but also the corruptible quality of capitalism and business, which look primarily at profits in the short term with little regard to the long term impact i.e. sustainability of such practices. While those expecting a fast-paced, violent horror film are bound to be disappointed with No Telling, Larry Fessenden has created an impressive low-budget thriller thats creeping sense of dread keeps it engaging from start to finish. |
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June 2023
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