Before I get into the review, here are my ratings for the movie.
The story gets 0.25 out of 2: The Direction a 0.75: The Pacing receives a 0.75: While the Acting gets 1.00: And my Enjoyment level earns a 0.75 out of 2: This brings the total for The Obscene Mirror to 3.5 out of 10.
I enjoyed Jesus Franco's version of Dracula, so when I came across this title, well, I had to give a viewing, didn't I? Let this be a lesson to me, just because a director has one good film under his belt doesn't mean they are all going to be to the same calibre. In fact, this story is woefully lacking in everything.
Now, listen to this premise: A Nightclub singer is haunted by the ghost of her dead father. A father who was so oppressive and domineering that he couldn't accept his daughter loved another man and so commits suicide on her wedding day. However, this is just the start of her nightmare. Not only does he and his death torment her, but is he forcing her to commit murder?
Doesn't this sound great? It did to me. I envisioned a dark and moody supernatural thriller filled with imagery and eeriness. Regrettably, the writers, Nicole Guettard and Jesus Franco, took a more moralistic view. The whole story has a pretentiousness to it. Guettard and Franco are pushing the differences between sexual equality. I love a good morality tale, but sadly they attack the issues with a heavy hand. And, hardly touch on the more supernatural elements of the story. We spend too much time on self-centred blokes waxing lyrical on how macho and "in-touch" with their feelings they are. One character even gives us a five minute narrative on the history of men in the region.
What this story needed was a much better structure. A better balance of morality and suspense.
I did learn one thing, though. A foreign language film with subtitles is way more boring if you have to read the drivel the characters are spouting. The act of reading forces you into the story more. You have to make the physical effort. When you're listening you can listen with half an ear... just like you do with your spouse.
I even believe the direction the story took hindered Franco in his directing. There's nothing eerie in this movie. It's a suspense-less thriller, and that is death for this style of movie. If the story is weak, the director has to step up to the plate and give the audience something interesting to watch. Alas, Franco opts for a basic, and below average, point and shoot style. By the twentieth minute, my attention was wavering. Luckily, the "history of men" comes towards the end of the movie, by which time, you think, oh well, may as well see it through to the end. Franco isn't too good with pacing. I think he got lucky with Dracula as his one-pace style worked in the confines of that story. Here, however, it only adds to the tediousness of the picture.
The acting is the best part of this film. Don't get me wrong though, the acting is still only average. This comes down to some of the characters being underused and poorly constructed. We needed to see why Ana was the way she was towards men. We are told her father wasn't great, but we are never really shown this. We needed more on this relationship and more on Ana's mental health and well being. The cast do well with what they are given. It's a shame they're not given much. And, if they are, it's generally drivel.
If you thought, upon reading the synopsis, that this movie would be a great film to watch, you have been warned. I cannot, in all faith recommend this nonsense to anyone. And, in all truth, I would suggest staying as far away from this Obscene Mirror as possible.
Now, smash that mirror and jog on over to my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where this claptrap crashed in my rankings. At the very least, you should be able to find something better to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.
The story gets 0.25 out of 2: The Direction a 0.75: The Pacing receives a 0.75: While the Acting gets 1.00: And my Enjoyment level earns a 0.75 out of 2: This brings the total for The Obscene Mirror to 3.5 out of 10.
I enjoyed Jesus Franco's version of Dracula, so when I came across this title, well, I had to give a viewing, didn't I? Let this be a lesson to me, just because a director has one good film under his belt doesn't mean they are all going to be to the same calibre. In fact, this story is woefully lacking in everything.
Now, listen to this premise: A Nightclub singer is haunted by the ghost of her dead father. A father who was so oppressive and domineering that he couldn't accept his daughter loved another man and so commits suicide on her wedding day. However, this is just the start of her nightmare. Not only does he and his death torment her, but is he forcing her to commit murder?
Doesn't this sound great? It did to me. I envisioned a dark and moody supernatural thriller filled with imagery and eeriness. Regrettably, the writers, Nicole Guettard and Jesus Franco, took a more moralistic view. The whole story has a pretentiousness to it. Guettard and Franco are pushing the differences between sexual equality. I love a good morality tale, but sadly they attack the issues with a heavy hand. And, hardly touch on the more supernatural elements of the story. We spend too much time on self-centred blokes waxing lyrical on how macho and "in-touch" with their feelings they are. One character even gives us a five minute narrative on the history of men in the region.
What this story needed was a much better structure. A better balance of morality and suspense.
I did learn one thing, though. A foreign language film with subtitles is way more boring if you have to read the drivel the characters are spouting. The act of reading forces you into the story more. You have to make the physical effort. When you're listening you can listen with half an ear... just like you do with your spouse.
I even believe the direction the story took hindered Franco in his directing. There's nothing eerie in this movie. It's a suspense-less thriller, and that is death for this style of movie. If the story is weak, the director has to step up to the plate and give the audience something interesting to watch. Alas, Franco opts for a basic, and below average, point and shoot style. By the twentieth minute, my attention was wavering. Luckily, the "history of men" comes towards the end of the movie, by which time, you think, oh well, may as well see it through to the end. Franco isn't too good with pacing. I think he got lucky with Dracula as his one-pace style worked in the confines of that story. Here, however, it only adds to the tediousness of the picture.
The acting is the best part of this film. Don't get me wrong though, the acting is still only average. This comes down to some of the characters being underused and poorly constructed. We needed to see why Ana was the way she was towards men. We are told her father wasn't great, but we are never really shown this. We needed more on this relationship and more on Ana's mental health and well being. The cast do well with what they are given. It's a shame they're not given much. And, if they are, it's generally drivel.
If you thought, upon reading the synopsis, that this movie would be a great film to watch, you have been warned. I cannot, in all faith recommend this nonsense to anyone. And, in all truth, I would suggest staying as far away from this Obscene Mirror as possible.
Now, smash that mirror and jog on over to my Absolute Horror and Killer Thriller Chillers and The Game Is Afoot lists to see where this claptrap crashed in my rankings. At the very least, you should be able to find something better to watch.
Take Care & Stay Well.