I think there's someone down there
About five years ago, I published a review of the film Caveat. At the time, it was the first feature film by Irish director Damian McCarthy. Caveat, as I said then, captivated me with its unsettling atmosphere. I started following this filmmaker because I saw his potential in the horror genre. Two years ago, he released his second film, Oddity, which followed a similar style to the first, although I liked it less.
Now, I recently saw his latest film, Hokum, and this time I was once again impressed by his approach. That said, all three films share a similar style. They all tell a horror story, with some supernatural elements, but they also delve into the psychological aspects of the characters. His main characters carry some kind of past trauma, and he enjoys playing with their minds.
Furthermore, all three films have a slow pace, but that doesn't make them any less interesting, much less boring. I wasn't bored at all. Hokum lives up to my expectations for a story of this kind, and the fact that it managed to hold my attention is already a point in its favor. Another detail I noticed in Hokum is that it maintains a similar visual style to the two previous films. I don't know if the same cinematographer was used.
It's a film where the somewhat oppressive and isolating atmosphere plays an important role. The same was true in Caveat, set in a rural house on an island. In Oddity, the setting of an old house was also used to create a disturbing atmosphere, and in Hokum, it's the main suite of an old Irish hotel and its basement that maintain the suspense for part of the story.
In Hokum, the protagonist is a writer of the genre named Ohm Bauman, who suffers from childhood trauma. He travels to Ireland, to an inn/hotel where his parents stayed when they got married. He carries their ashes with him. He's a grumpy character, with few friends, who doesn't want to be bothered because he's a famous writer. Upon his arrival, something happens that draws him into, which will develop the film's mystery and reveal what torments the writer.
This main character is played by actor Adam Scott, known to many for the series Severance. The actor quite impressed me and carries the weight of the story with aplomb. The cast includes more experienced actors, though perhaps not as well-known to the general public. I enjoyed seeing David Wilmot in a role completely different from the one he played in another film I saw recently. There's even a brief appearance by Austin Amelio, known as Dwight from The Walking Dead.
I wasn't wrong when I said we should pay attention to filmmaker Damian McCarthy when I talked about Caveat. I think he hasn't done his best work yet, but he's on the right track. He uses a style of horror that I like, but of course, he has his detractors because his stories unfold at a slow pace.
I not only recommend Hakum, but I also encourage you to watch Caveat and Oddity, so you can enjoy all three films by this promising horror director.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the film if you've already seen it.
Hace unos cinco años publiqué una reseña de la película Caveat. En aquel entonces, era el primer largometraje del director irlandés Damian McCarthy. Caveat, como dije entonces, me cautivó con su atmósfera inquietante. Empecé a seguir a este cineasta porque vi su potencial en el género de terror. Hace dos años estrenó su segunda película, Oddity, que seguía un estilo similar a la primera, aunque me gustó menos.
Ahora, recientemente vi su última película, Hokum, y esta vez me entusiasmé de nuevo con su enfoque. Dicho esto, las tres películas tienen un estilo similar. Todas cuentan una historia de terror, con algunos elementos sobrenaturales, pero también profundizan en el aspecto psicológico de los personajes. Sus personajes principales arrastran algún tipo de trauma del pasado, y a él le gusta jugar con sus mentes.
Además, las tres películas tienen un ritmo lento, pero eso no las hace menos interesantes, y mucho menos aburridas. No me aburrí en absoluto. Hokum cumple con las expectativas que tengo de una historia de este estilo, y el hecho de que lograra mantener mi atención ya es un punto a su favor. Otro detalle que noté en Hokum es que mantiene un tono visual similar al de las dos películas anteriores. Desconozco si se utilizó el mismo director de fotografía.
Es una película donde la atmósfera, algo opresiva y aislada, juega un papel importante. Lo mismo ocurría en Caveat, ambientada en una casa rural en una isla. En Oddity, el escenario de una casa antigua también se utilizó para crear una atmósfera inquietante, y en Hokum, es la suite principal de un antiguo hotel irlandés y su sótano los que mantienen el suspense durante parte de la historia.
En Hokum, el protagonista es un escritor del género llamado Ohm Bauman, quien sufre un trauma infantil. Viaja a Irlanda, a una posada/hotel donde se hospedaron sus padres cuando se casaron. Lleva consigo sus cenizas. Es un personaje gruñón, con pocos amigos, que no quiere que lo molesten porque es un escritor famoso. Tras su llegada, ocurre algo en lo que se ve involucrado, lo que desarrollará el misterio de la película y revelará qué atormenta al escritor.
Este personaje principal es interpretado por el actor Adam Scott, conocido por muchos por la serie Severance. El actor me ha convencido bastante y asume con solvencia el peso de la historia. El reparto incluye actores con más experiencia, pero quizás no tan conocidos por el público. Disfruté viendo al actor David Wilmot en un papel completamente diferente al que interpretó en otra película que vi hace poco. Incluso hay una breve aparición del actor Austin Amelio, conocido como Dwight de The Walking Dead.
No me equivoqué al decir que deberíamos prestar atención al cineasta Damian McCarthy cuando hablé de Caveat. Creo que aún no ha hecho su mejor trabajo, pero va por buen camino. Utiliza un estilo de terror que me gusta, pero claro, tiene sus detractores porque sus historias se desarrollan a un ritmo lento.
No solo recomiendo Hakum, sino que también les invito a ver Caveat y Oddity, para que puedan disfrutar de las tres películas de este prometedor director de terror.
Me gustaría saber su opinión sobre la película si ya la han visto.
Gifs and separators made by me in photoshop. Translation with Deepl
Rating: 75/100
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The ending is a good example of why Disclosure Day still works on an emotional level even when the details are hard to swallow and escape routes are avaible in every corner, its when you start seen people brake down because of the impact this news has on everyone, decades of lies, decades of abuse, it does have some value although it all felt rush. Margaret makes it to the station, Daniel get the stolen files spread across every news network broadcasting from what looks like a small local news channel until they make it New York, thats where things start to spread like wild fire and people all over the world stop to watch proof of alien crashes, prisoners and decades of secrecy, people who had places to be just sit down and watch instead of keep moving on. Then living alien gets brought in front of the cameras and I think this was totally unnecesary to be honest, speaks to Daniel and leaves Margaret to carry the message to everyone else, ending on the word Listen, please tell me we are not getting a sequel because there is no need for it so why ending like this?. I get the ending is simple and direct and fits what the movie has been saying about empathy and communication the whole time, I do like that Spielberg does not turn the aliens into attackers or use the reveal as an excuse for some huge battle, taking the story into a path of peace and evolution becuase humanity is close to destroying itself and these beings just want people to understand each other before it is too late, even when the goverment has been so cruel to them. The problem is the movie expects one broadcast to change the world almost right away, soldiers pause and news networks cooperate because everyone is watching the same screen, come on its rating, and it needed more doubt about how people would react because everyone is just in silence and there are no opinions or oposition flying across the room, some would listen, some would panic, some would deny it outright sayings its Ai but they got some sort of system that even meassures pixels to confirm its real? like wtf. Even after my small rant after half of this post I did not think the whole idea failed, Spielberg still creates real story that make you feel and want more out of it as the drama, action and story unfolds, Blunt gives the movie a strong emotional center its just sad Josh O Connor didnt get the same opportunity as Daniel, and the question of what disclosure would actually change is a nice moment to think about it, what would happen if something like this ever becomes real? Im not talking about Alien devices but that Aliens are real, period. Disclosure Day is good, sometimes really good, but it needed a stronger script to become that blockbuster everyone was expecting, I guess no days been succesful at what ever you do in this age of social media expose you so much that people just cant get or understand or even accept when it was not your best performance and not even your worst to call your work plain stupid.
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