I am surprised by the response to this film quite frankly. It's clearly a film made on a limited budget and youthful spirit.
I would say that the reviews complaining about the pacing of the scene at the start don't seem to have much patience. I was compelled. A character study of a young man in fear and isolation, terrified and feeling hunted, who over an unknown amount of time retreats into creating a world familiar to him as he tries to make sense of his situation. Then we are taken right out of it and back to his home and a detective asking him questions about his missing friend. We dip into his life and his relationship with his girlfriend and we are wondering if he was responsible for the disappearance of his best friend. There is a real sense of a daze, or a surreal feeling about all this, and the detective seems wilfully to goad him. Is he responsible? How does this detective know so much? Who are these random people in his life who seem to know all about him? Why is he haunted? Guilt?
Without going into this plot, which these geniuses claim to have seen coming a mile off, I was confounded, and if that makes me stupid, then so be it, I'd happily allow the plot to unfold and enjoy it rather than taking it as a competition.
Yes, it is weird, there is tension and anxiety, but it DOES lead somewhere, somewhere I did not expect, and once the penny drops, the true horror unfolds and then the situation of the young lead becomes thrown more into chaos than imagined. As we are told, "Chaos always gets in".
My advice is, just WATCH it for yourself, don't listen to anyone, and just give it a chance. I loved the ending and it really put things into sharp relief. It doesn't give you the ending you expect, but it does give you an answer as to why this young man is behaving the way he is. It's not Spielberg, it's not Uber Hollywood, but it is clever, psychological and makes you consider how much you would retreat into yourself over trauma. I commend the cast, the writing, the direction and for being bold by not being a trope laden or pretentious attention grabber. It's smart, thoughtful and surreal.
I would say that the reviews complaining about the pacing of the scene at the start don't seem to have much patience. I was compelled. A character study of a young man in fear and isolation, terrified and feeling hunted, who over an unknown amount of time retreats into creating a world familiar to him as he tries to make sense of his situation. Then we are taken right out of it and back to his home and a detective asking him questions about his missing friend. We dip into his life and his relationship with his girlfriend and we are wondering if he was responsible for the disappearance of his best friend. There is a real sense of a daze, or a surreal feeling about all this, and the detective seems wilfully to goad him. Is he responsible? How does this detective know so much? Who are these random people in his life who seem to know all about him? Why is he haunted? Guilt?
Without going into this plot, which these geniuses claim to have seen coming a mile off, I was confounded, and if that makes me stupid, then so be it, I'd happily allow the plot to unfold and enjoy it rather than taking it as a competition.
Yes, it is weird, there is tension and anxiety, but it DOES lead somewhere, somewhere I did not expect, and once the penny drops, the true horror unfolds and then the situation of the young lead becomes thrown more into chaos than imagined. As we are told, "Chaos always gets in".
My advice is, just WATCH it for yourself, don't listen to anyone, and just give it a chance. I loved the ending and it really put things into sharp relief. It doesn't give you the ending you expect, but it does give you an answer as to why this young man is behaving the way he is. It's not Spielberg, it's not Uber Hollywood, but it is clever, psychological and makes you consider how much you would retreat into yourself over trauma. I commend the cast, the writing, the direction and for being bold by not being a trope laden or pretentious attention grabber. It's smart, thoughtful and surreal.