Review by Karolina Gruschka
“I’m Clif Prowse.” “And I’m Derek Lee, and tomorrow we’re going on a year-long trip around the world! Six continents, over 30 countries. It’s gonna be epic.”
Day 1: ‘Not Another Found Footage Film’
This was my first response towards Afflicted (2013), since horror movies based on ‘found footage’ material just don’t do it for me. I get nauseous from shaky hand-held cameras, when I cannot see things properly I find it highly frustrating rather than uncanny, and I absolutely loathe the protagonists’ exaggeratedly panicky reactions to pretty much nothing. Even Blair Witch Project was not my thing; however, I hold at least respect for the movie considering it was the first of its kind. All found footage horror that came after, I have tried to avoid; sometimes I would let myself be talked into seeing one, but each time this only reinforced my contempt for those kind of movies. That said, I have not lost hope entirely or I would not be watching Afflicted.
Day 2: The Day has Dawned
I thoroughly enjoyed Afflicted and can highly recommend it. This just shows that sometimes it is worth giving material you usually would not touch a shot. If I were to describe the movie, I would compare it to Chronicle (2012) in regards to its action sequences and vibes. Afflicted is a Canadian film about two childhood friends who want to escape the routine of adult life by travelling the world together. Derek has recently been diagnosed with AVM (arteriovenous malformation) in his brain; a condition that in severe cases can lead to blood vessels rupturing, causing paralysis or resulting in death. He turns this blow of fate into an opportunity for living life to the full without regrets. Equipped with camera gear, best friend Clif joins Derek on his epic trip, documenting their adventures and posting it on ‘Ends of the Earth’, their interactive travel blog.
Day 7: Saved by the Bell (?) – A Turkish Cockblock in Paris
After having spent a fun week in Spain, Derek and Clif accompany their friends Zach & Edo from Canadian band Unalaska to a gig in Paris. At the venue, Derek meets mysterious French girl Audrey (Baya Rahaz) who he ends up taking back to the hotel room. Since all four boys share the same room, Zach, Edo and Clif decide to play a joke on Derek by cockblocking him. Instead of disturbing a sexual encounter, they interrupt Audrey’s violent attack on Derek. Audrey escapes, Derek’s life has been spared, however, he might have been better off dead, as a wound inflicted by Audrey causes him to contract an unusual affliction that will put a dark turn on their journey.
Night 7: The Less You Know the Better
My advice to you is to avoid the trailer and any other information about Afflicted as this way you will dodge spoilers and be in for a surprise. If you dislike found footage horror, too, give Afflicted a chance nonetheless. Since the format is a travel blog, the video material is not really found, but an edited version of Derek and Clif’s recordings. With the aim of targeting a big online community, the footage has been selected accordingly, therefore averting boring and poor sequences. This could be a reason why I did not encounter the same issues I usually do with movies like Blair Witch Project or As Above So Below.
Creators Lee and Prowse seem to have a great genre awareness as they succeed at avoiding common mistakes made with found footage; for instance, problems in regards to justifying camera positioning. Fairly early on, they have the protagonists introduce the camera strap-on device that allows for shoot’em up view points. I believe that this subgenre works best when a blending of reality and fiction occurs, otherwise what is the point of including (pretend) amateur recordings. Whereas a media stunt was generated around Blair Witch Project, making it out to be genuine footage of people that have gone missing, I know that Derek is not really suffering from this mysterious illness. However, Clif Prowse and Derek Lee not only share the faces and names of Afflicted’s characters, but also their biographies, to some extent. They have been best friends since being teenagers, they make films together, their wives, families and friends were involved in the filmmaking process (i.e. Jason is also Derek’s brother in real life), and generally the responses of the characters to developments in the story are kept as natural as possible. Afflicted does not only fit in the found footage corner of horror; as a result of the naturalistic approach, Prowse and Lee rewrite another familiar subgenre that is usually stylized (I will not mention which subgenre it is as to not spoil the surprise).
Night X: So Worth Your Time
From start to finish Afflicted was engaging; its execution is clever, loving and with an attention to detail, making for a genuinely pleasurable viewing. I sense, or at least hope, that we will be seeing more film projects from Lee and Prowse in future. Do not let the found footage label scare you away, or you will miss out!
Afflicted will be released on DVD by Entertainment One on 6th October 2014.