‘Tontine’ Is Lost Found Footage Gold [Unnamed Footage Festival 2023 Review]
Mary Beth McAndrews
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In 2010, well-known Survivor competitor Rob Mariano was doing a press tour and teasing a new upcoming reality show. The show was called Tontine, and it was touted to be like Survivor, but with much higher stakes. All contestants are required to sign over all their assets into a big pot, with the eventual winner getting everyone’s money and other collateral. It’s a bonkers idea, and yet people across the country still lined up to audition. Little did they know that Tontine had already been cast. In fact, the entire show and its fanfare was a rouse, a guerilla marketing campaign for the upcoming found footage film of the same name.
But, after all the excitement, Tontine disappeared. The film, written and directed by Ezna Sands, never saw the light of day. Until now. Thanks to a special screening at the 2023 Unnamed Footage Festival, a small audience was finally able to experience what’s described as Lord of the Flies meets reality TV. And after watching it, it’s truly a shame that Tontine has been sitting on the shelf for so long.
Oftentimes lost films such as these are more of a novelty than anything else. But Tontine is a technically gorgeous film with grounded performances and rather harrowing imagery. It begins with the audience meeting our contestants in the typical reality show audition and confessional settings. They’re all the stereotypical reality show characters, from the rage-filled man ready to fly off the handle to the ditzy blonde, all larger-than-life personalities that make for good TV. But, when they’re shipwrecked near Fiji with no one to intervene, these personalities very quickly begin to clash.
As they find a box washed ashore full of camera equipment, some of them decide to document their experience. What they capture is an accelerated version of Lord of the Flies where they all begin to turn on each other and still continue to play the “game”. Heads are smashed, flesh is ripped apart, and coconuts fall from trees like grenades from an unknown attacker. Everything feels dangerous and not once is there ever a feeling of safety, making Tontine an incredibly nerve-wracking experience.
Sands’ writing is crucial to Tontine‘s success. Instead of just taking reality TV to an even bigger extreme, Sands imbues his characters with humanity rather than just making them two-dimensional stereotypes. Yes, he leans into those common reality TV stereotypes as mentioned above, but he never makes these characters feel hollow. They’re still empathetic, which helps up the emotional stakes of the film.
The finished product is darkly comic and shockingly violent, an all-around harrowing found footage experience. Overshadowed by the release of films like Cloverfield and Paranormal Activity, Tontine was ahead of its time in tackling influencer-type horror. Audiences weren’t ready for vicious humanity; they wanted otherworldly monsters and supernatural forces. But now, it is Tontine‘s time to shine.
Once Tontine is released into the world, I have a feeling it’ll almost instantly gain a cult-like following. Between Survivor superfans and horror aficionados, the mystery around the film is enough to garner excitement. But to see this story told so effectively with such an eye for the vibe of reality TV in the early 2010s makes witnessing Tontine all the more sweet. After over a decade since its completion, this movie deserves to finally see the light of day.
Summary
‘Tontine’ is darkly comic and shockingly violent, making it a harrowing found footage experience.
