Mini Reviews: ‘Out of Darkness,’ ‘Sometimes I Think About Dying’
Two recent films that both turned out to be disappointing despite a promising start
Out of Darkness
Survival horrors have an appealing quality by nature. When you put a protagonist (or a group of people) in a setting where their lives are threatened immediately by something ferocious, you create a sense of suspense and excitement instantly. But to maintain and build on that tension throughout the entire runtime is where these movies tend to fail the most.
Director Andrew Cumming’s feature debut, a paleolithic horror as he called it, does a fantastic job of establishing an eerie and bleak atmosphere from the get-go. He gradually amplifies the fear and unease the characters slowly succumb to as they travel toward the mountains in search of a better life in a barren and hostile land. Instead, Adem (Chuku Modu) and his people find a creature that lives in the darkness, patiently waiting to snatch these humans one by one and feast on their flesh.
Given how much care and attention went into the details here, recreating the Old Stone Age and its people (the film’s language was entirely made-up by Daniel Andersson), it’s a shame that all that potent build-up and captivating premise crumble into dust in the movie’s second half. The nail-biting suspense that Out of Darkness works so hard for in its first hour is undone by a blatantly underwhelming and cliched twist that deprives the film of its ancient and mythical power. Once the "monster" is out of the bag, there isn't enough gore or powerful acting in the world that could resurrect the potential that Out of Darkness had earlier and then wasted entirely.
Sometimes I Think About Dying
How do you make a film about the monotony of life without succumbing to its theme's inherent dullness? You can't. For what it’s worth, Rachel Lambert’s fourth feature has an intriguingly stylish and melancholic approach with a low-key appeal. Putting the focus on an extremely shy and introverted protagonist like Fran (Daisy Ridley), whose favorite pastime is thinking of different ways of dying, is actually pretty relatable — at least for a similarly misanthropic person like I am. But even for drama fans, Sometimes I Think About Dying moves excruciatingly slow, and its painstaking portrayal of a quiet woman living an ever quieter life proves to be a challenge to be immersed in.
The film takes so much time concentrating on meaningless and dull everyday moments (small talk in the office, uneventful first date, staring into nothing) that it often forgets to say something thought-provoking about them. We get that Fran is a loner who prefers an empty room rather than one with actual people in it — and who struggles with relationships as much as she does with expressing her feelings or thoughts out loud — but that’s simply not enough to make her intriguing. When people say they don't enjoy dramas, I can imagine they're thinking of movies like this one. Of course, that's not true for all dramas, but Sometimes I Think About Dying does feel like one that only starts getting somewhat engaging when it ends. And that’s never a good sign.
Last week, I praised 10 Things I Hate About You as a celebration of its 25th anniversary that’s coming up soon. Can you believe the movie is two and a half decades old already? Me neither. Next week, I’ll be reviewing the upcoming AMC crime drama, Parish, starring Giancarlo Esposito for Paste Magazine.
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