I was recommended this via a newspaper article about horror movies. There weren't much details so I didn't know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised at the plot execution, for the first hour anyway.
A man, Gilderoy, works as a sound engineer for an Italian horror film, but you never actually get to see any graphic scenes. You have to imagine them by listening to the sound effects and voiceovers. It's a bit funny hearing the sounds and seeing how those sounds are made (lots of suffering vegetables), but it's creepy if you close your eyes and just listen. The sound editing also means that while most of the dialogue is conducted at normal volume, the sound effects and screams are dialled up so loud it sometimes makes you uncomfortable, which is most likely the film's intention.
As Gilderoy gets more into his work, his real life seems to blur into a reel life. You're not entirely sure it's HIS reel life though. His slow detachment from his pre-studio life is so subtle it's easily missed, and you don't really care for him as a character because he does not stir up any feelings in you for him.
The last 20 minutes of the movie was confusing and a let-down though. At one point, you expect the 'torture' of the new actress in the sound studio to lead to something - a violent outburst, a scream, something, but in the end, you're let down by the eventual ending. You hope the ending minutes will shed some light on Gilderoy's state of mind but you are left hanging, without a rope. After such a promising start, you end up confused instead of gratified.
It would have easily gotten a 9 or 10 from me, but the flaw (to me, anyway) at the end cost it 2-3 points. It's saved from losing more points due to the excellent 1st hour, sound editing and an imaginative script.
A man, Gilderoy, works as a sound engineer for an Italian horror film, but you never actually get to see any graphic scenes. You have to imagine them by listening to the sound effects and voiceovers. It's a bit funny hearing the sounds and seeing how those sounds are made (lots of suffering vegetables), but it's creepy if you close your eyes and just listen. The sound editing also means that while most of the dialogue is conducted at normal volume, the sound effects and screams are dialled up so loud it sometimes makes you uncomfortable, which is most likely the film's intention.
As Gilderoy gets more into his work, his real life seems to blur into a reel life. You're not entirely sure it's HIS reel life though. His slow detachment from his pre-studio life is so subtle it's easily missed, and you don't really care for him as a character because he does not stir up any feelings in you for him.
The last 20 minutes of the movie was confusing and a let-down though. At one point, you expect the 'torture' of the new actress in the sound studio to lead to something - a violent outburst, a scream, something, but in the end, you're let down by the eventual ending. You hope the ending minutes will shed some light on Gilderoy's state of mind but you are left hanging, without a rope. After such a promising start, you end up confused instead of gratified.
It would have easily gotten a 9 or 10 from me, but the flaw (to me, anyway) at the end cost it 2-3 points. It's saved from losing more points due to the excellent 1st hour, sound editing and an imaginative script.