film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Category: REVIEWS

Here is where you would find our film reviews on BRWC.  We look at on trailers, shorts, indies and mainstream.  We love movies!

  • DVD Review: My Friend Dahmer

    DVD Review: My Friend Dahmer

    Reposted from March, now the film is out on DVD.

    Marc Meyers’ 2017 biographical drama ‘My Friend Dahmer’ documents the year before American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer began the killing spree that made him one of the most infamous murderers in history. Before this point, he was a high school senior, whose behaviour was becoming more and more bizarre and antisocial. The film doesn’t try to pinpoint the root of the problem, or excuse what he later came to do, but instead takes us on a moving and incredibly disturbing journey of a simultaneous entry into adulthood and descent into madness.

    The film is based on the graphic novel by John Backderf, a cartoonist who formed a kind of friendship with Dahmer in their last year of high school, and made him somewhat of an infamous figure in their senior year.

    Jeffrey Dahmer, played with a haunting awkwardness by Ross Lynch, is a kind of unfunny Napoleon Dynamite figure. He walks through the school halls, with his hunched posture and shuffling gait, for the most part unnoticed. That is until a budding cartoonist classmate, John ‘Derf’ Backderf, sees something in Dahmer that inspires him. His new friends encourage him to spontaneously break out in a deranged frenzy in different locations, shouting and convulsing in a fashion that they later refer to as ‘doing a Dahmer’. Soon, the laughter dies down and Dahmer begins drinking heavily and acting more and more strangely to try and squeeze out the laughs and attention from his peers that he has begun to enjoy. What they don’t know is that behind closed doors, Dahmer is dissolving animals in acid in his makeshift science lab, and stalking people in bushes with baseball bats.

    Throughout the film we know that his killing obsession will at some point progress from animals to humans, but the film is not about that. This story ends just before he commits his first murder. It is more concerned with the signs that, after the fact, everyone wished they had noticed at the time.

    The film is shot beautifully in Ohio, capturing the picturesque surroundings and the style of the 70s. Alex Wolff is brilliant as Derf, and there is an incredibly tense and memorable scene in which the realisation kicks in for Derf that his comical pal could actually be hiding something much more sinister. It’s an uncomfortable watch, but it is a fascinating study of a teenager dealing with feelings of isolation, budding homosexuality, and his erratic home life. It will leave you feeling uneasy, but it’s a unique biopic and one that takes a look at a part of a killer’s life that is often ignored.

  • The Forest Of Lost Souls: Review

    The Forest Of Lost Souls: Review

    The Forest of Lost Souls comes to us from Portuguese filmmaker José Pedro Lopes. This psychological drama-come-horror film follows the evens of two people who meet up in a forest. Said forest, a creation of fiction, is a popular place for suicide – this happens to be why these two are here. Or is it? As they talk and explore the forest, searching for the souls hidden within it turns out both have a story to tell. And one is nowhere near as innocent as they first seem.

    This is a slow-burning story, making use of character and atmosphere to play on the audience’s perceptions. The film is shot in black-and-white, which certainly helps set the films tone. The lack of colour gives us an unnatural feeling towards the characters and makes us quick to distrust them both. The long takes and mostly sparse editing, with a focus on cuts moving us from one location to the next – messing with any concept of the passage of time. It all makes for a viewing that’s uncomfortable in the right way.

    It does feel unfortunate that this good atmosphere was put to use on a film that feels overall very disjointed. What is advertised as the film’s plot, and what is the most intriguing part of the film, is over with sooner than you’d believe. As soon as our characters reach a resolution, the film becomes less of an atmospheric drama with a very intriguing premise. It instead becomes a more generic horror film – at times it even resembles a slasher flick. This does work sometimes – notable examples are Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Jonathan Damme’s The Silence of the Lambs, two drama-thrillers that became serial killer horror films at the end. Here though, it sadly comes off as two very separate stories that clash very violently.

    We seem to get a good set-up, conflict and resolution – and then the film carries on for another 40 minutes. This makes me think that The Forest of Lost Souls would have worked better as a short film. It is a shame, as the cinematography and acting was good, and Lopes clearly has talent behind the camera. I wouldn’t be surprised if he made something spectacular in the future. But the story was lost on me, and not too soon after so were the characters. I’ll admit to having been confused by characters and their motivations in this film. I watched the film, waiting for a big reveal as to the motive behind the film’s more antagonistic character, but it didn’t really arrive for me.

    The Forest of Lost Souls is an interesting story and concepts, that is beautifully filmed – but is sadly very muddled. The feeling of uncertainty is something that is worn on the sleeves, which is executed well. But sadly, when the film get’s confusing it really feels hard to get invested in. It’s a good show of talent from those in front of and behind the camera, and I do hope to see more – and better – from them. It’s a shame about the story, but in terms of execution it’s at least an interesting viewing. If you like slow-burning thrillers in the vein of Psycho and, in a way, The Babadook, then it’s worth at least one viewing.

  • Review: The Butterfly Tree

    Review: The Butterfly Tree

    As a widower and his son struggle to gain some semblance of a normal life, a mysterious and a radiant and exotic newcomer moves into the town. The relationship between the boy and his father is strained as both develop an affection for the beautiful Evelyn (Melissa George). A woman brimming with life and filled with secrets.

    Part coming of age story, part grief melodrama, The Butterfly Tree is threaded together with visual symbolism and animation depicting the life cycle of insects. The chrysalis motif most noticeably signifying the burgeoning hormones and sexual awakening of the teenage Fin (Ed Oxenbould). His collecting of butterflies (a hobby passed down by his mother) is something reflected in Evelyn’s own transformations throughout the film. The evolution of form and perceptions of beauty are significant within the narrative and the relationships between Evelyn, Fin and his father, Al (Ewen Leslie).

    The three leads are excellent and the first two acts manage to convey a wonderful marriage of both the themes and character development as hearts flutter and imaginations soar. Jason Hargreaves’ cinematography captures light and colour is marvellously realised images. The entire first two acts are filled with quirk, curiosity and vivid imagery as we discover and grow with Fin and Al. There’s an almost, “Mary Poppins for adolescence” quality as the father and son are renewed by the effervescence of their captivating new object of their desires. The problematic element of this is illustrated by the fact that Evelyn as a human being within the film, is more than a curiosity, a pretty thing to be collected and mounted in a frame. If only The Butterfly Tree could have stayed its course and delivered upon this concept, this would have been a worthier endeavour overall.

    Sadly, there’s a left-field turn in the final act that damages the overall construct of the film. The narrative sinks into melodrama involving new tragedies, old tragedies with reinforced perspective and an unnecessary aside that feels as though an entire sub-plot has been carelessly ripped away in the editing room. The film loses its way and this is a terrible shame. At 96 minutes the rhythms are wrong, the tonal shift is clumsy and I couldn’t shake the notion that if the film had more time to spread its wings, the final act would not have felt so ill-at-ease with what came before.

    Admittedly it has taken a few days to mull over my thoughts on The Butterfly Tree. On one hand, there is an earnestness in the dynamic between the three protagonists. Writer/ Director Priscilla Cameron imbues the characters with human warmth, which is in turn honoured by the fantastic performances from Melissa George, Ewen Leslie and Ed Oxenbould. Unfortunately, besides the often-gorgeous cinematography and animated embellishments, this film becomes a tonal disaster that exhausts its themes and motif before we reach the final act.

  • The Producers: 50th Anniversary Review

    The Producers: 50th Anniversary Review

    Very few films can make you laugh in their opening moments, and even fewer keep you laughing from that point right up to the closing credits. Mel Brooks audacious directorial debut, The Producers, is one of the rare, brilliant few films that may be able to claim that it manages exactly that. The first of the titular duo we are introduced to, Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel), is perhaps what you expect of a producer: an extravagant social wizard who exploits the deep pockets of elderly women in order to fundraise for his expensive shows. But after another flop on opening night, Leo Bloom (Gene Wilder) arrives at his door, sent to check that all of Max`s accounts are in order. It is here that a plan begins to take shape. Leo points out the financial gain to be had from deliberately staging a flop, and of course Max is on board. 

    Despite tough competition from his roles in Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, this is perhaps Wilder’s best performance. He is the perfect jittery ball of worries for a madcap Mostel to bounce off, rightly earning Wilder an Oscar nomination for his portrayal. It is hard to say which of the two men is having the most fun in their respective roles, or if it is in fact Brooks wearing the biggest grin. 

    The Producers: 50th Anniversary

    Max and Leo choose to stage the worst play they could possibly find: “Spring time for Hitler”, and yes, it is as ludicrous as it sounds. Indulging in the awesome theatrical elements available, Brooks revels in the absurdity of the situation. Brooks’ films have a tendency to segue away from a solid premise for the sake of one joke (think of the studio lot section of Blazing Saddles), but here the comedy is wonderfully plot focused. The play’s opening musical number, Brooks` own composition, is equal parts catchy and hilarious, and the stage show is beautifully brought to life by a magnetic supporting cast. Most impressive are Dick Shawn and Kenneth Mars, the former as lead actor Lorenzo St DuBois (or “LSD”), playing Hitler as a hippy to the incredible aggravation of the latter – the show`s author and Hitler`s number one fan, Franz Liebkind. It is impossible not to marvel at the brilliance in the stupidity, as the chorus sing lines such as: “Don’t be stupid, be a smarty, come and join the Nazi party!”. 

    50 years on from its original release, The Producers has lost none of its edge. Cynicism in show business is not something that has faded away; Brooks’ musical comedy is just as on the nose as ever, if not more so. As saddening as that thought might be, watching The Producers will never fail to uplift. Sure, it is unlikely that every moment will amuse, that every joke will land, but the gag rate is both higher and considerably more successful than the majority of outright comedies. To sit back and experience each of Mostel, Wilder and Brooks perhaps at the very top of their respective games is a treat not to be taken for granted – for his efforts, Brooks picked up the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay back in February 1969. The Producers is much more than a classic, it is probably a comic masterpiece, as proved by the longevity of the stage adaptation of the film.

  • Review: Mad To Be Normal

    Review: Mad To Be Normal

    Mad to be Normal brings to life the story of R.D. Laing, a controversial psychologist with a radical treatment for mental illness involving LSD and the freedom to express their behaviours. Working out of Kingsley Hall in East London, this experimental treatment brings controversy and fame and all the demons that come with it.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6-i3Uo05C0

    Mad to be Normal takes what it is a unique, fascinating and incredible story and turns it into a merely watchable affair. Mad to be Normal is held together by a fantastic performance by David Tennant in his portrayal of R.D. Laing. Mad to be Normal has a compelling storyline, embellished by some falsity designed to portray Laing’s lifelong behaviours whilst only demonstrating a snapshot of his life. Yet as the film progresses, it moves more and more off piece. This is typified in what i can only describe as an essay thats nearly reached its wordcount  manner packing an hour of events into the final thirty minutes, ending suddenly with no time for a conclusion. R.D. Laing’s story is a complex one, and the team behind Mad to be Normal have tried to graft too much into one biopic.

    Mad To Be Normal
    Mad To Be Normal

    Actors can often raise a mediocre film to a good one. David Tennant and his cohorts Elisabeth Angliss and Gabriel Byrne nearly manage this, but Mad to be Normal still manages to fall short of anything but decent. Tennant’s Glaswegian accent for me is a hit (and should be done more often), and his descent into alcoholism and depression is fantastic. He also manages to portrayal a real sense of devotion effortlessly and it’s always a shame to see great performances pulled down by their script.

    For those looking for something different, or perhaps a film that tackles the brutal treatment of mental illness by those meant to be helping them, I would certainly recommend they watch Mad to be Normal, but with so many good films out there, I’d say this one can wait.