Independent horror and suspense, directed by Kurtis David Harder, about a gay couple, with a teenage daughter, who move to a town where the inhabitants are not as friendly as they seem.
What is the plot?
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Aaron now has a new life. After years of marriage, he is now openly gay and lives a happy relationship with his current partner Malik, who works as a ghostwriter for a publishing house. Aarón has a teenage daughter, and the three of them are going to live in a small village where the inhabitants have very high moral codes. The presence of the gay couple, one of whom is of immigrant descent, will make the people of the village react strangely. Malik will be the one to realize that something strange is happening in that village, but the danger is already upon them.
What I will defend about the film, is that being an independent production and having a low budget, it has interesting moments, scenes and plot arches, well done. Although the film in its entirety has not been to my liking, it should be noted that a part of its history can be improved.
There are two unexpected twists in the narrative, both of which try to surprise the viewer. I liked both of them, one of them was predictable: discovering who these villagers are, what the hell are these rituals they do, why they act that way and what they want.
The other plot twist, which is related to the trauma Malik experienced as a teenager, while she was with her boyfriend in a car. Every time the flashbacks were presented, I wondered what Malik's relationship with her old boyfriend had to do with the present day. When we make the discovery, we achieve the effect that the film's script seeks. I liked that.
The story has good things, but it also has other parts that are not so good. Specifically when it uses the conventional stereotypes of the genre.
The typical dumb teenager, who is told by her parents not to do something and is the first thing she does. Something quite boring when it comes to teenage subplots in movies.
Aaron doesn't believe Malik's story. This part, despite Malik's past, I see it as too forced in the film's script. If Aaron decided to make a life with Malik, it means that he loves him and has confidence in him. Overnight, Aaron acts like another fool who doesn't believe anything Malik says, sees no danger, feels no rejection and now trusts the new friends in town, people he barely knows, more than the man he loves.
Even the use of the photographs, to break Aaron and Malik's relationship is poorly executed, Aaron's character is drawn as a very focused, prepared and intelligent person, who would not let himself be carried away so quickly by emotions. I was surprised by all the conflict, because they didn't know how to develop Aaron's character so that the whole problem would be credible. That supposed infidelity shouldn't affect it. There was an earlier scene, where Aaron himself tells Malik that they could invite the boy to a threesome, something they seem to have done on other occasions.
Part of the film goes down the road of psychological terror, Malik feeling harassed by the community, which is apparently a homophobic and xenophobic society. Keeping us intrigued about what's going on in that city. Who are these people? What's the mystery? Is it a satanic cult? Are they aliens? Are they Trump's followers? Hahaha
In the end we will have an answer for everything, the only one I got right was the last one, those people seem to be fans of the blond president. Because the film has, at its core, a political reading. This was another factor that I didn't like, enough with the progressive propaganda.
The villains in the film, that is, all the people, are white people who apparently hate homosexuals and are racist. They are an extremely conservative community and this is not the first time they have harassed a gay couple. In the past they have also done the same thing to a lesbian couple. In addition, they also go against anyone who is not white; immigrants are another favorite target of these mysterious inhabitants. That city is the ideal place for a lover of the current president's policies, a Trumpet paradise.
Although with the final twist everything is justified, this reading that can be given to the film is interesting, especially at this time.
The film is directed by the filmmaker Kurtis David Harder, this is his second film, in 2017 he made another independent production, of the science fiction genre, called Incontrol, about a group of students who have the power to take control of other people and live the experiences through them. I haven't seen that film, I can't give my opinion about it. The director is starting, I will wait to see other productions in the future to determine if it is worth following him. The script for Spiral is written by two screenwriters: Colin Minihan and John Poliquin.
The actors in the film are not big superstars. Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman may be the best known, the actor plays Malik, who realizes that in this city they are crazy and in danger, but nobody believes him, neither his current partner, nor his old boyfriend who in all the phone conversations tells him to calm down, which are paranoia about the traumatic event of the past. This actor has participated in several television series, some know him from the comedy series Unreal. He also worked in one of the seasons of American Horror Story.
Ari Cohen is the other Canadian actor in the cast, he plays Aaron, a character he ends up hating for being such an idiot and not believing in Malik. He has had films and series throughout his career, most of them with small characters, but lately he has been getting closer to the horror genre and has worked in the two films of the IT remake.
Australian actress Jennifer Laporte plays Aaron's daughter, Kayla, and now Malik's daughter as well. She is the ultimate target of the villagers and Malik will try to protect her. I can't say much about this performance, the actress is quite young, she has few films in her career, she just plays her rebellious teenage character.
I will only name the actors that make up the family that moves to the village, because all the others that appear in the film, don't make a big effort in the acting, they just put on serious faces, mysterious looks and keep silent. It is one of the failures of the filn, these villains of the people and the leader they have, lack power and magnetism.
There are not many scary scenes, nor does the atmosphere become disturbing, but at the end of the film, we are given a scene that is bloody enough to satisfy the bloodlust of the genre's lovers. In addition to the two surprise twists, it is worth taking a look at this independent film made in Canada.
My Ranking: 2.6/5
Trailer
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