|
|
Directed by Written by Starring Rated R 99 Minutes
Presented by |
 |
||
 |
||||
|
THE
ABANDONED Review
When the AFTER DARK HORRORFEST began its weekend long festival run in theaters in 2006, viewers who attended were asked to choose the best film from the festival to be given a wider theatrical release. The film chosen was THE ABANDONED, a creepy chiller from acclaimed filmmaker Nacho Cerda, known for his groundbreaking short films AFTERMATH and GENESIS. Very European in its tone, THE ABANDONED is a solid ghost story that makes the best use of atmosphere and tone. The film centers on 40 year old producer Marie Jones (Anastasia Hille) who receives word that she has inherited a farm in remote Russia, the place of her birth that she never knew about, and unsure about her own path in life, decides to uncover her mysterious past. Once there, she is greeted by Nicolai (Karel Roden) who bears a little resemblance to her saying he’s there for the same reason. They encounter doppelgangers of themselves, her drenched to the bone, him ripped apart, and even when they harm the doppelgangers, they harm themselves as well. Trapped on the land with no hope of any rescue, the two not only must find a way out, but also discover why the house is drawn to them in the way that it is. This is an excellent, unique film that shows just how location, atmosphere, and pacing can be expertly applied in the right notes. Director Nacho Cerda takes the time to establish characters and shows the Russian landscape very gorgeously as well as showing its isolation flawlessly. There are also some genuine scares here, as the doppelgangers look frightening just with the use of whitened contacts and excellent lighting. The only complaint would really be the pacing of the film, as Nicolai is introduced 30 minutes into the film and the rest of the film is mainly just the two actors on screen. With that said, the payoff is excellent with a surprising denouement that really delivers the goods, as both Marie and Nicolai learn their fate and their pasts, and accept them with gripping realism. The main actors, Anastasia Hille and Karel Roden, both deliver solid performances as they try to uncover their mysteries coupled with their determination to leave the area. Hille provides a strong lead, giving an underscored performance. Karel Roden is also very good as Nicolai, who shows that he and Marie are in fact twins born in that house and realize that both their pasts have come back to them. The scene where they are waiting for death to overtake them as they are willing their fate is probably the best scene in the film, as both give remarkable performances. They both know they are going to die yet at the last moment they find an urge to fight for their lives. The special effects are minimal but used great here, and the look of the doppelgangers are just plain scary. It’s a shame that this film bombed at the box office but it has found life on DVD, as it is a horror film well worth watching, and rewarding for those willing to invest time in the characters. Most films I’ve seen today push too much into the violence that we are not given a full understanding of the characters, which makes us not care for the film. In this case, it’s not that we don’t care for the characters at first, but we want to know what fate accepts them. When the story is revealed, it brings a sad realism that the two are really innocents being paid for simply living. I admit I am a fan of Nacho Cerda’s work, and he knows how to shock in just the right places. His film AFTERMATH is still to this day one of the most graphically shocking films made and with GENESIS proves he can smoothly portray the loss of love. With THE ABANDONED, he is given a canvas to create a feature and although the box office receipts weren’t great, Cerda is a filmmaker to keep an eye on. In all, THE ABANDONED is a terrific horror film crafted expertly by a skilled director with some great performances that fans of haunted house and ghost stories will love. It is also a film for adults in its overall feel and tone in that children may get bored quickly with the pacing, but it is needed in this story and done quite well. For film lovers, I would recommend it. For horror fans just looking for gore, you won’t get any here but once you get past the first act, you will be rewarded for being faithful to the story. THE ABANDONED: 9 Out Of 10 Maggots
|
HOME
BLOGS
|
|||
