Therapy (2016)
Starring Nathan Ambrosioni, Thierry Azzopardi, Vanessa Azzopardi, Luna Belan, Nathalie Couturier
Written and directed by Nathan Ambrosioni
French found footage thriller Therapy combines the tried-and-true teens in distress slasher with a crime procedural with some success and, unavoidably, some cliched pitfalls. The film definitely has its moments and does just enough to probably keep your interest, but in trying to have an original structure, the more predictable aspects of Therapy are uncovered along with the video equipment found at the scene of the crime.
After discovering an abandoned house while camping, one of the group, Stephanie (Vanessa Azzopardi), vanishes. As the remaining teens search for her, her captive’s perspective is also shown as Stephanie recoils in terror, hoping her friends can save the day. The story interweaves an investigation centering around the detectives who find the footage with flashbacks showing what happened during the night in question. Exploring the evidence leads the cops to realize the horrors that the teens experienced is still ongoing.
Therapy is at its most effective when it focuses on what’s happening to Stephanie while her friends frantically search for her. It feels immediate and threatening while also slowly revealing a deeper mystery at play. The figure who snatched her up is just another freak with a mask at first. Then a connection arises between the two that gives the audience a case to solve themselves as the police try to put the pieces together as well.
Jumping back and forth to the actual footage and the investigators as they look for clues is a good idea in script form, but in execution the momentum and any building intensity take a hit each time the story transitions ahead. There’s a lack of memorable moments in Therapy until the ending approaches, offering up a shocking reveal that removes some of the randomness of Stephanie’s original attack.
Although this revelation is a welcome story development, the cliché moments seen in so many movies that include the found footage formula can’t be completely overcome. For the lovers of the sub-genre, Therapy is necessary viewing; but if you’re growing tired of it, the French sensibilities of actor/writer/director Nathan Ambrosioni don’t offer up enough to break away from the pack.
What’s promising is that Ambrosioni is only seventeen years old and shows a pretty sure hand behind the camera. If he keeps working in horror and continues trying to inject some originality into old tropes, he may turn out to be a director worth seeking out at future film festivals and beyond.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
