Unseen, The (2016)
Matt Boiselle
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Starring Aden Young, Julia Sarah Stone, Camille Sullivan
Directed by Geoff Redknap
Screening at Fantasia 2016
Face it – how infinitely cool would it be to become empowered with the ability to become invisible? Let me correct that: I’m not sure if you could exactly refer to it as being “empowered” as much as cursed. In Geoff Redknap’s maiden-voyage film, The Unseen, it just goes to show that just because parts of you can disappear from sight, doesn’t mean the problems around you are gone as well.
Aden Young plays once promising NHL star Bob Langmore – once a potential shining possibility that could have made something out of himself, and now he’s spending his days languishing in an industrial town as a mill worker. His relationship with his family is as transparent as his own body is becoming. Ex-wife issues, daughter’s got beef with Daddy, the drugs that Bob is taking to hopefully slow this malady down aren’t working to the level he’d hoped for. Also, this isn’t the nice, tidy bandaging that was on display in The Invisible Man way back in the day – this poor soul has massive chunks missing from various parts of his person…large, bloody, gaping chunks – appetizing, huh? In the hopes of making it home before ending his existence, Bob strikes a deal with a local criminal to do a little dirty work – money’s good, but the repercussions could be problematic.
The issue here is that The Unseen certainly doesn’t present itself as a horror film, yet solidly states its presence as a heavily clouded dramatic thriller (to say it’s a thriller could also be a stretch) – yet, the human element is front and center, and if it’s good times, hugs and smiles, intertwined with a little touchy-feely family vibe, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Unfortunately, as the movie drags on (and it DOES drag on), you’ll probably feel less inclined to sympathize with Bob’s affliction, and even become disinterested in the reconciliation of he and his family – that’s just where this film leads you, and it is a little disheartening. I’ll give a couple of happy points to the work of not only Young’s depiction of a man that’s literally trying to hold himself together, but the stellar look of his character falling to pieces – other than those mid-level pros, there’s just too many sluggish, misdirected cons here that not even the strongest Ace bandages in the world can hold together.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
