Goodness is this film gruesome. There’s death, there’s torture, there’s kidnapping, there’s psychosis—and it’s all elegantly framed and put together with a tastefulness that seems at odds with the story. Furthermore, what violence occurs is always in the periphery and never committed in front of us. We can hear, though, and for this film that’s enough. Especially with so many being blinded and silenced, it is apt that we are left blind and silent, and yet constantly aware of the horror never being far away. It’s completely effective. It’s unnerving. And I thought it was scarier than any cheap surprise could achieve.
What is this about, though? With its rather short running time, it seemed to end just as soon as it could begin, but I do like the interpretation that it wants to humanise someone who would otherwise be written off as a monster. When family is all you have, and its suddenly taken from you, the shock of loneliness can be too much to bear. And if you don’t know a healthy way to cope, I would imagine something like this would not be an improbable occurrence.
It’s definitely a weird film to end off the year with, but hey, at least I can spend New Year’s Eve being appreciative that my family is still with me, right?
The Lonely Film Critic 