Dark (2015)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Whitney Able, Alexandra Breckenridge, Michael Eklund, Redman
Directed by Nick Basille
Disturbed Kate (Whitney Able) is forced to confront her worst fears and phobias when she finds herself trapped alone in her New York loft during a blackout of the whole city.
We see the beautiful blonde is a bit coo-coo in the very beginning, during a full-on make-out session with her live-in lesbian lover, Leah (Alexandra Breckenridge). Kate tries to get Leah to choke her, but her gal pal is having none of it. The mood is broken.
But the affair is not. Leah professes her love and her jealousy over Kate’s many admirers, but still – Leah has to leave town for a little while. Kate seems relieved to have some alone time, but when the power goes out, things start to get very, very… dark.
Dark has got some heavy hitters behind the scenes. For one thing, it’s executive produced by Joe Dante. The writer is Elias, who enjoyed underground success with his body-horror low-budgeter Gut in 2012. Director Nick Basille hasn’t done much of note before, but I’m impressed by his sense of style and would like to see more.
The true stars of the show are DP Trent Ermes, the editing department, and especially lead actress Able. She’s compelling and mesmerizing, even when doing the most mundane things – which, I’ll tell you… if you’re looking for a scare-a-second, Dark will leave you cold. Able, especially when she starts to seriously unravel, brings to mind a young Jennifer Jason Leigh, not only in looks but in mannerisms and acting style. She’s excellent.
The movie is pretty near excellent too, but only for certain types of fandom. If you enjoy slow-burn, suspenseful, single-character thrillers – think: Repulsion, The Tenant, House of the Devil – then Dark will be right up your alley. I love this kind of stuff, but I will say even for me the flick dragged from time to time, and a few things were unclear even though I was paying attention.
It’s not perfect, but Dark is one of the better arty indies I’ve seen in some time.
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Film
Categorized:News
