Sister Hell (Short, 2015)
Chris Barnes
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Starring Thomas Aske Berg, Espen Hana, Oliver Hohlbrugger, Anders Hommersand, Lene Heimlund Larsen, Johanna K. Rostad
Written and directed by Fredrik Hana
Johanna Rostad is a nun tired of her solitary life. Longing to explore the “darker” side of her sexuality, she leaves the monastery behind and undergoes cheap surgery to become the voluptuous woman she always wanted to be. Unbeknownst to her, she’s being tracked by a church determined to take her back and dish out penance of Biblical proportions!
I must admit, apart from reading a brief synopsis, I knew very little about Sister Hell prior to pressing “play.” However, if I would’ve carried out some research beforehand, I’d have been psyched to realize award-winning Norwegian filmmaker Fredrik Hana’s latest short was in my digital mitts. This being his third flick, I’ve previously enjoyed Autumn Harvest (a dark, captivating arthouse mystery) and will be tracking Angst, Piss & Drid down as soon as I finish typing this very review.
As with Autumn Harvest, director Hana again blesses us with exceptionally stunning visuals, only this time he injects some black comedy deep into his bizarre horror style, creating a most unpredictable yarn whilst simultaneously demanding we scrutinise our increasingly numb moral compasses – an unnerving action to self-administer, yet astonishingly satisfying. On the outside, we’re seeing a holy sister tackle the tricky path to self-discovery, but in reality it’ll prod and poke your own boundaries between right and wrong, question your actions in pursuit of happiness, and blur your perception between saint and sinner via religion, sex, body modification, and dancing demons! Not what I expected at all, but, subconsciously, exactly what I wanted!
Like the brilliantly lit backdrops, the overblown performances slap you across the chops, suiting the overall Argento-like mood and summoning memories of your favourite Giallo or Euro horror classic from days gone by. The dark humour provides relief from the full-on visuals, and although the jokes don’t hit every mark, it may very well be intentional to maintain a certain detachment and stop proceedings from drifting into spoof. Hana’s ability to balance comedy and repulsion is almost flawless, so when married with unique ideas, superb special effects, a clever story, and a pulsating, intrusive soundtrack, Sister Hell becomes a must-see.
It may not make complete sense to us all, but at least one of its deep messages will hit home, ensuring you’ll be thinking of massive, scarred arses long after the 15 minutes are up… more than you usually do.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
